Agencies Conducting Hunger Review In Akobo
The Jonglei State Director for Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), Gabriel Deng Ajak has said that food distribution has the guiding principles mostly based on the humanitarian assessment even as leaders report that about 20,000 people are facing hunger in Akobo County. 16 May 2013 By Jacob Achiek Jok BOR, 14 May 2013 [Gurtong] – Geng said that food security analysis normally gives a five-month hunger gap from April to August because people are presumed to be cultivating and the carryover of the grain that might not been enough to cover for the period of cultivation. He said that they do give food to the most vulnerable households and the criterion is very clear. “Our people when they see the food in the store they thinks that it is for the distribution which is not like that, we are trying to increase on development programs rather than emergency, so this food is also used as food to create assets within the general food aid contact,” he said. Deng said that there is a potion that is meant for development. “That potion meant for development is what you will do something and then the food is given to you,” he said. He said that in Akobo County, there is already an assessment that has been carried out and one is underway and food shall be issued based on needs identified by that particular humanitarian team. He said that food distribution is not a one-man decision but it’s an inter-agency cooperative approach. The Member of Parliament representing Nyirol County, Khor Huow Gal reported last week that at least 20,000 people displaced in Akobo County are facing hunger when there is food in one of the stores within Akobo being controlled by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) while people are in critical condition. Gal said that they have consulted some humanitarian agencies concerned so that they can quickly rescue by delivering the relief assistance but they are unable to provide food to those vulnerable communities. He said that they have discussed the issue with the state Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) secretary and he promised that NGOs to carry an assessment in the areas affected. The MP told Gurtong that there is no single NGO based in the county adding that what they just do is to assess the area and come back to state headquarters in Bor. Gal said that last year seven people died of hunger following the flooding which destroyed all the crops in Nyirol County and Akobo West where the harvest was very poor. He said that early this year there was a displacement of the people due to cattle raiding and Yau Yau rebel activities in the areas of Akobo and Nyirol County. Gal told Gurtong that because of the poor harvest, the community which has not been affected could not manage to accommodate those who were affected by cattle raiding. He said that there is no good road transport for the business people to deliver food services to the people in Akobo due to poor road and insecurity this year. He said that they have approximately about 20,000 people of which at least 10,000 are in Lanken and 7,000 in Walgak. He said that absence of food distribution in the camp is one of the challenges facing the Members of Parliament representing the community. Posted in: Home, Humanitarian -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
