Tearfund takes to radio airwaves to tackle risks of rising flood water

• Health workers wading waist deep through floods to reach malnourished children
• Tearfund scales up nutrition centre support in response to floods in South Sudan

International relief and development agency Tearfund is scaling up support and issuing flood warnings to communities in Pochalla, in South Sudan.  Although seasonal flooding is expected from August to October, recent years have brought abnormally high floodwaters to vast areas of South Sudan, displacing almost 1 million people every year. 2.7 million people live in areas at high risk of flooding and as waters continue to rise, Tearfund is working to ensure people are prepared and safe from harm.

Erickson Bisetsa, Tearfund’s Country Director for South Sudan, said:

“Floodwaters in Pochalla and the surrounding area have already cut off many villages, making relief efforts extremely challenging. In an effort to get ahead of the rising flood water, Tearfund has been broadcasting radio messages with information about which rivers are likely to burst their banks and how people can avoid worst case scenarios by preparing to move their livestock and loved ones to higher ground.

“More than 3,000 people in this area are already in dire trouble, their homes, farmlands, local healthcare and other services are underwater. In some places toilets and sanitation infrastructure are damaged and there is a heightened risk of waterborne diseases like cholera and malaria, which can prove fatal for undernourished children. Crops have also been damaged, raising fears of intensified hunger over the coming months.

“Our relief efforts are being coordinated in collaboration with community leaders, local partners and donors, including church leaders from across seven denominations. Tearfund has scaled up operations to conduct mass screenings for malnutrition among children under 5 years old. By doing so, we hope to identify those who are most at risk and provide emergency nutritional support during this difficult time. We are increasing public awareness through radio talks shows and adverts, but accessing areas cut off by the floodwater can be extremely challenging and we need more resources to be able to offer temporary shelter, clean water and food supplies for those who have been forced out of their homes by the floodwater.”

For more information about the work of Tearfund or to donate, please visit https://www.tearfund.org/poverty

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Notes to editors:

• Radio adverts offering flood warning advice and mitigation measures are available to playback (in English) on request.
• To donate to Tearfund please visit tearfund.org/poverty.
• In June 2023, South Sudan was listed among the top ten most neglected displacement crises in the world.
• South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation and home to more than 11 million people. The country gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 agreement that ended Africa's longest-running civil war. However, civil war has broken out multiple times since, driving millions of people from their homes.
• The humanitarian situation in South Sudan remains dire, with more than two-thirds of the population (72%) needing some form of humanitarian assistance and protection.
• As of July 2023, there are 2.3 million internally displaced people in South Sudan and nearly 2.4 million displaced refugees from South Sudan around the world.
• The country is ranked 192 out of 193 on the UN’s human development index.

Why Tearfund works with the church in South Sudan:

• In Pochalla, Tearfund is working with the Presbyterian church, Lutheran church, Episcopal Church of South Sudan, Anglican church, Hope church, Evangelical Presbyterian church and Baptist Church.
• At Tearfund, we strongly believe in the power of the Church. Tearfund itself grew out of the generosity and compassion of the Church in the UK. Millions of lives have been changed as a result.
• The Church – in all its various guises and denominations – is the largest civil organisation on the planet. For more than 50 years, Tearfund has worked through the local church. We work with the Church because it works. Churches know the needs of their communities and how best to respond with the resources available to them. They often hold positions of influence. In times of crisis, the Church is often the first to arrive and the last to leave.
• Tearfund works through local churches because this transforms whole communities. Our church partners provide training that enables them to realise their God-given potential. People are empowered to lift themselves out of poverty for good.
• For example, according to Tearfund’s new study, people who engaged with our church training and investment programme were 62% more likely to invest in assets eg. animals, land, a house or business.
• They were also 51% more likely to have the same or higher earnings than last year.

Tearfund’s advice to people at risk of flooding in South Sudan:

To safeguard and protect yourself, your families and loved ones from floods:

• Consider relocating and building elevated storage buildings if you live in a flood-prone location.
• Consider precautionary evacuation of your livestock in case of floods and make sure household members know where to evacuate to, what route to take, and where to meet if they have to leave.
• Do not drink from, play, or swim in floodwater.
• Identify your safe evacuation routes, using any forms of transportation available to you and routes that can be used on foot should floods emerge.
• Select a safe site for your building and avoid building or living on riverbanks.
• If you live on a flood plain, build an appropriate foundation and elevate your home.
• Construct wells and latrines in safe places, above expected flood levels.
• Construct barriers such as dykes to prevent flood water from entering.
• Wash and then disinfect every part of your home that has been flooded.

Tearfund is a Christian charity that partners with churches in more than 50 of the world’s poorest countries. We tackle poverty through sustainable development, responding to disasters and challenging injustice. We believe an end to extreme poverty is possible. Tearfund is also a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. For more information about the work of Tearfund, please visit www.tearfund.org.