Nyakuach Mayien gave birth in one of the riskiest places in the world for a child to be born – South Sudan.
Hunger soon left her daughter Nyayian struggling to survive and her tiny body became wracked with illness.
‘My daughter was seriously ill with malnutrition,’ said Nyakuach. ‘She would often vomit, pass diarrhoea and her body temperature was very high. I was worried that she would die.’
The statistics for maternal and child mortality in South Sudan are high – one in nine children die before their fifth birthday and 20 per cent are malnourished.
So for Nyakuach and Nyayian, the presence of a Tearfund feeding centre in Pieri, Uror County, was a real Godsend. Trained staff provided food supplements for Nyayian and gave nutritional advice to Nyakuach.
‘I thank Tearfund for what they have done for my child. Now she is back to full health again! Nyayian never vomits and she no longer suffers from diarrhoea. You can see that now she is very healthy! If not for Tearfund, Nyayian would have died.'
Safe drinking water
With half of South Sudan’s population being under 18 and the country having little in the way of health services, Tearfund’s ECHO-funded feeding centres are playing a vital role in safeguarding this vulnerable part of the population.
Providing essentials for community life, such as clean water and toilets, are also part of the holistic approach Tearfund is taking, backed by the Canadian International Development Agency.
‘My whole family benefits from Tearfund’s activities,’ said Nyakuach. ‘I now have a pit latrine at my home and my family drinks clean water from the borehole which has been drilled by Tearfund. May the almighty God bless Tearfund for its good work in Uror County.’
Tearfund has been working in Uror since 2004.
It’s an area prone to natural disasters, such as droughts and floods, and also suffers from inter-tribal conflicts. All this can mean that people lose their homes and are soon pushed to the margins of survival, particularly the young.
Besides nutrition clinics for mothers and their children, we also tackle hunger at source by providing seeds and tools so families can grow more food themselves, while hygiene education prevents illnesses like diarrhoea.