Step up, don’t scale down
While the worst humanitarian situation since independence is unfolding, humanitarian funding is lagging.
The worst crisis since independence
10 years after independence, South Sudan is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis and children will die unless more help is provided. 4.5 million children or 2/3 of the entire child population in South Sudan are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and many will not make it unless efforts are scaled up significantly.
UNICEF has appealed for US$ 180 million dollars to assist the most vulnerable children.
Yet, just one-third is funded halfway into the year.
Read UNICEF's Child Rights Crisis Report highlighting how the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is impacting children and their rights.
A humanitarian crisis is a child rights crisis
A lack of humanitarian funding will have a dramatic effect on the children of South Sudan, impacting on their rights to survival, education and protection from abuses and exploitation.
Children’s voices
‟South Sudan is not stable. We need peace with the freedom to move freely. There are a lot of gangs in my neighbourhood and fights. The insecurity really affects our lives as children.” – John* (13)
‟Time is needed for things to change dramatically in South Sudan.” – Grace* (15)
“In our country, children are not being respected: the right to go to school, the right to eat, the right to protection, the right to security... So many rights that are not being given to us. Give us our rights as children. Respect our rights as children. Respond to our cry.” – Christine (17) UNICEF Child Reporter
Learn more about the situation and UNICEF's response
With focus on saving lives, UNICEF, UN Agencies, NGOs and partners have scaled up in ten priority countries where the situation is extremely dire. UNICEF has in particular focused on increasing the capacity to screen and treat children for acute malnutrition with an expected caseload of 1.4 million children in 2021. Improved access to clean water, improved sanitation and hygiene and access to basic health care are also among UNICEF’s top priorities together with access to education.
