Credit: Caritas

Caritas Luxembourg has launched a public appeal in Luxembourg for donations to help tackle the current food crisis in South Sudan.

Food insecurity in South Sudan is recurrent and is linked to the country's difficult weather conditions, as well as ongoing conflicts and population movements.

"At the moment, in addition to a drought that has lasted for months, we are in the hunger season", explained François Nzabahimana, permanent collaborator of Caritas Luxembourg in South Sudan, adding: "This is the term that defines the period during which the reserves from previous harvests are exhausted while the next harvests have just been sown and have not yet reached maturity. And as there is a shortage, the price of what is still available soars. As a result, the population, and in particular the poorest, no longer have enough to eat. Their stocks are exhausted, and they can not afford expensive grain."

In response to this food crisis, Caritas Luxembourg teams are on-site to provide the population with food supplements and seeds, as well as adapted health care. Children are often the first victims of hunger. When they are malnourished, they experience stunting and weight loss. They are also much more sensitive to other diseases, with cases of acute diarrhoea and severe dehydration increasing every day.

Those wishing to support Caritas Luxembourg projects can make a donation via bank transfer to the account IBAN LU34 1111 0000 2020 0000 account (CCPL) or via the website www.caritas.lu. For example, a donation of €24 would cover the provision of dietary supplements to ten children for a week.