Our photo of the week: A young boy smiles in South Sudan as he holds food provided by the World Food Programme (WFP).
This week, WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antόnio Guterres visited South Sudan to meet people affected by the conflict in the world’s newest nation and to review the response and needs of the growing humanitarian crisis.
Since conflict broke out in mid-December, more than 1 million people in South Sudan have had to flee their homes. UN agencies are working to provide food, vaccines, water and hygiene kits, and education supplies to those in need.
Citizens throughout South Sudan are helping each other in this time of crisis – and they need our support. As UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan, Jonathan Veitch, said: “We are regularly, and rightly, told of the grim situation facing women and children, but too often it implies they are inert victims. That is simply not the case. People want to be part of their future, they want to contribute. Our job is to ensure they can.”
To learn more about the UN’s response and how you can help, read this blog post.
*Photo Credit: Giulio d’Adamo/WFP