South Sudan’s nutrition crisis: Holding the line between hunger and hope

Mother Wut Akol with her eight-month-old daughter, Abuoch Jiel Bak, at an outreach site in Machar, Tonj, Warrap State, South Sudan

Under the shade of a tree in Machar Ayuel village in Tonj, Warrap State, mothers sit with their children, waiting to be screened.

There is no health centre building here. No consultation rooms or pharmacy.

Instead, a temporary nutrition outreach run by Amref Health Africa has become a lifeline for families who would otherwise have to walk for hours to access care.

Among the mothers is Wut Akol, whose nine-month-old daughter, Abuoch Bak, was recently diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition.

Before coming to the outreach, Wut would make the long journey to Pawel health clinic, about three hours away on a good day.

When her daughter became ill, she suffered from vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and cough. As the illness continued, Wut feared something beyond her understanding was happening.

“When it started, I thought she was bewitched,” Wut says.

At the outreach, health workers screened Abuoch, enrolled her in the nutrition programme and provided the nutritional support she needed.

Now on her sixth visit, Wut says she has seen a major improvement in her daughter’s health.

“There is a big difference. Now it has changed her body, and she is better.”

Wut’s story is one example of a much wider nutrition crisis affecting South Sudan.

A crisis measured in millions

Between April and July 2026, an estimated 7.8 million people—56 percent of the analysed population—are expected to face Crisis-level food insecurity or worse, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

The nutrition situation is also alarming. More than 2 million children under five are expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition, alongside more than one million pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Behind these figures are families facing several challenges at the same time. These include conflict and displacement, rising food and fuel prices, disrupted markets, disease outbreaks, flooding, poor access to clean water and sanitation, and reduced humanitarian access.

For communities such as Machar Ayuel, these challenges can turn an ordinary illness into a life-threatening emergency.

During the rainy season, roads can become impassable. Health facilities are far away, medicines and supplies are limited, and families may not be able to reach treatment when they need it.

For 19-year-old Yom Akol, who is pregnant and was found to be malnourished, distance and flooding are constant concerns.

“Travelling to a health facility is a challenge. During rainy season, we are cut off… There is nowhere to pass because of floods.”

Yom learnt about the nutrition outreach through Amref’s community nutrition volunteers, who move from household to household screening families and referring those who need care.

After being assessed, Yom received a ration card and nutrition supplements.

But her needs go beyond nutrition.

“We also need medicine. People are sick. People need to be treated.”

Her words highlight the wider challenges behind South Sudan’s nutrition crisis.

Hunger does not happen in isolation. Malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory infections and other illnesses can worsen malnutrition, while shortages of medicines and limited access to health services can make recovery more difficult.

For Amref Nutrition Assistant Peter Mabior, bringing services closer to communities is essential.

Without the outreach, mothers and children in Machar Ayuel may have to walk three to five hours to reach health and nutrition services.

“That is why we brought the services closer to the community,” Peter explains.

Across Warrap State, Amref is supporting care for children and mothers affected by malnutrition.

Community volunteers screen children and pregnant women, while outreach teams identify cases early and connect families to treatment.

With support from WFP and Unicef along with supplementary funding from Amref USA & Amref Italy through their external donors the programme aims to maintain 23 Outpatient Therapeutic Programme and Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme sites, alongside eight mobile outreach sites, helping bring care closer to hard-to-reach communities.

For children who are severely malnourished and have medical complications, outpatient care is not enough.

At the Thiet Stabilisation Centre, supported by Amref, critically ill children can receive inpatient treatment and specialised nutrition care.

Once they stabilise, they are discharged with therapeutic food and referred back to outpatient services for continued follow-up.

Bringing services closer to communities can make the difference between a family accessing care and being forced to undertake another long and difficult journey.

From emergency treatment to stronger food systems

Treating malnutrition is only part of the solution.

Amref is also supporting communities to improve household food security through women-led kitchen gardens.

For mothers such as Rebecca Nyalok Aru, the gardens provide more than vegetables.

They give families access to nutritious food while creating opportunities to earn income from surplus produce.

The income can help families pay school fees, seek medical care and support one another during difficult periods.

In communities where families struggle to access enough nutritious food, the gardens provide an important layer of protection and help families move beyond simply surviving the next hunger season.

Back under the tree in Machar Ayuel, mothers continue to wait.

Children are screened. Nutrition supplies are distributed. Health workers provide advice and follow up with families who need continued support.

For Wut, returning to the outreach means more than collecting nutrition supplies. It means watching her daughter recover.

For Yom, it means receiving support during a vulnerable pregnancy while living in a community where healthcare remains difficult to access.

And for health workers like Peter, it means continuing to bring care to communities that are far from formal health facilities.

But resilience alone cannot solve a crisis of this scale.

A mother’s determination cannot replace medicine. Resilience cannot fill a stock-out. And courage cannot shorten a three-hour journey through flooded roads.

South Sudan’s nutrition crisis is a test of whether lifesaving services can reach families before hunger and illness push children and mothers beyond the reach of care.

For now, in places like Machar Ayuel, that fragile line is still holding.

Mothers are still bringing their children.

Health workers are still screening.

Children are still receiving treatment.

And there is still hope.