A Mother In Need

Here is one of many life stories tormented by the war that has plagued South Sudan for more than four years. It is not as brutal as the experience of those who have fled their homes or lost loved ones. Mary Kenyi is still alive. But war caught her up in the capital. Due to the conflict, she couldn’t return to her hometown of Yei, where she remembers “life was easy and the weather was good”. In Juba, without a job, feeding her three children is a daily struggle. Her last born, Joseph, had developed malnutrition.

Since the collapse of South Sudan’s economy due to more than four years of civil conflict, food insecurity and cases of malnutrition have spread throughout the capital, Juba. Although initially less visible than in rural areas threatened by famine, the problem was taken seriously by humanitarian actors from 2015 onwards. In 2016, a Juba Urban Nutrition Program was put in place, to treat cases of malnutrition for mothers and children under five. In 2017, 76% of Juba’s population was considered food insecure, and World Vision was planning on treating 15,000 children under five in the course of 2018, in the capital city alone.

Note: You may want to visit Gurei station, where Mary Kenyi and her family live.

A Mother In Need

Duration: 6 min

Year: 2018

Production: Juba In The Making

Director, Camera Operator, Editor: Florence Miettaux

Special thanks to:

World Vision South Sudan and especially:

Elizabeth Atanasio

Damaris Wanjiku

Gloria Luka Joseph

Lisi Emmanuel Alex

and to all the staffs of the Gurei Primary Health Care Centre