More than 600,000 people are affected
(03.01.2014) Welthungerhilfe expects more than 600,000 people to be directly or indirectly affected by the fighting in South Sudan. Against this backdrop, the recent relief efforts of the international community are not sufficient for the scale of the humanitarian crisis
"The situation is dire. The number of people in refugee camps is increasing day by day. In many refugee sites across the country there is hardly any access to drinking water, food, accommodation, household goods or basic sanitation. Violence and injuries are on-going. An end to the crisis is not in sight," says Welthungerhilfe Country Representative for South Sudan, Bucay Deng.
A start: emergency shelter for 30.000 people
In cooperation with the UN, Welthungerhilfe has procured 6,000 tarpaulins in neighbouring Kenya for shelters that provide protection up to 30,000 people. In addition, it has ensured the transportation to Juba.
"That's a start. But we need much more support from the international community. The fighting must be stopped. Humanitarian corridors should be established to avert an even larger scale of the crisis", demands Johan van der Kamp, Welthungerhilfe Regional Director in East Africa.
Welthungerhilfe has been working since 1986 in southern Sudan. The organization wants to expand its emergency operations through Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal and Juba.
http:/www.welthungerhilfe.de/pm-southsudan-support/
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest non-governmental aid agencies in Germany. It provides integrated aid: from rapid disaster aid to reconstruction and long-term development assistance projects in conjunction with local partner organisations based on the principle of help towards self-help. Since we were founded in 1962, we have provided about 2.52 billion euros worth of funding for around 7,100 projects in 70 countries – for a world without hunger and poverty.
Publisher:
Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e. V. press office Friedrich-Ebert-Straße 1 53173 Bonn
Contact person: Marc Gross Telephone 0228 / 22 88 – 114 Mobile 0172 / 2938384 Marc.gross@welthungerhilfe.de