Some members of the Mother-to-Mother support group in Bor, Jonglei State, are appealing for help as their crops are withering due to lack of rain caused by extreme weather.
The mothers, comprising four groups with 15 women in each group, support breastfeeding mothers on how to feed and care for their children during lactation and pregnancy. The women say they would appreciate it if Save the Children and other partners provide them with irrigation sprinklers.
With the irrigation sprinkler, the group says it will help in distributing water directly from nearby rivers to their farms.
Mostly, the women rely on only one watering to collect water from nearby swamps or rivers, which is tedious.
48-year-old Rebecca Abuoi Mabior Aguer, is one of the beneficiaries of the support group firm in Pariak Payam. She is a mother of six.
Abuoi says it is becoming a big challenge to them to have nutritious meals as all the crops they had planted have dried up because of little or no rainfall. Even access to water from a nearby river is hard, she said.
“It has become so dry because rain always helps. So, I request you as the organization to help us so that we feed ourselves. If a generator is too expensive for you, kindly get us with treadle pumps. They can help us to water our gardens.” said Rebecca.
Some of the crops they plant are green vegetables including okra, cabbage, collard greens, onions, and leafy greens. Abuoi says with their crops dying, life is going to be hard as they will not be able to provide nutritious meals to their families.
Daruka Akur Chol, aged 50 – and beneficiary – has been left wondering what will happen next to them as the suffering is getting extreme to them.
“We are really suffering; we had crops, but the flood destroyed them. But after we planted again, drought came and destroyed the crops. There is not any better season for us. Like now, I woke up early in the morning. I spent the day working here in the garden but where is the rain so that I can plant? It’s not there,” she says.
Another beneficiary of the R2G consortium is 42-year-old Akol Apeech. She appeals for irrigation equipment to overcome the situation of drought.
“The seeds that were given to us got finished and if Save the Children is still there, if it has got our back still, please help us again like the way you did it last time. We need irrigation equipment if you can provide them, including generators. During the dry season, we were okay with our children. The last one month of May we missed cultivating; we felt hunger. This is the second time we have embarked on this activity. So, if you are hearing us as Save the Children, help us with a variety of seeds because this one is sustaining us with our children.” she explained.
Through the R2G program, the mother-to-mother group firm were formed with an aim of reducing the prevalence of undernutrition among under-five children through advocacy for multi-sectoral, inclusive, and gender sensitive nutrition programming that can contribute to the growth and development of children in South Sudan and allow them to reach their full potential in life.
Right2Grow is being implemented by Save the Children and 7 other developmental and humanitarian organizations comprising four national NGOs (CIDO, UNIDOR, SPEDP and CRC) and three international NGOs (World Vision, Action Against Hunger and CEGAA).
The purpose is to enable all children under 5 to be well nourished to contribute to the growth and development of children in South Sudan and allow them to reach their full potential.
Also, decision makers jointly and effectively address undernutrition in a multi-sectoral, gender-sensitive and inclusive way.
