Funding shortfall jeopardizes aid operation to help 3.2 million people in S. Sudan Aid agencies in South Sudan warn of even more dire humanitarian consequences if urgently needed funds are not raised in the coming weeks. 02 April 2014
UN (OCHA), Juba, 1 April 2014: The South Sudan Crisis Response Plan, which covers January to June 2014, is only 30 per cent funded. Of the US$887 million shortfall in funding, $232 million is the bare minimum required for the next three months to avoid the humanitarian situation deteriorating sharply. The funding needed will enable rapid response teams to provide lifesaving aid including food, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, to communities in hard-to-reach areas affected by the conflict. It will also enable agencies to preposition relief in these areas ahead of the imminent rainy season so that lifesaving aid continues to be available to people during the second half of this year, when two thirds of the country becomes inaccessible by road. One million people have been displaced by conflict in just 100 days - over 803,000 people are displaced within South Sudan and another quarter of a million people have fled to neighbouring countries. More than 90 per cent of those displaced in the country are in open or rural settings, often seeking refuge in hard-to-access locations without food, clean water or shelter. Without enough food to eat, malnutrition is on the rise. Resources raised now will focus on these extremely vulnerable communities. "If donor funding is not made available now, we will be unable to meet the most basic needs to keep people alive or prevent a catastrophic decline in food security for millions of people at risk later in the year," said the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Toby Lanzer. "The situation is tough, but aid agencies are doing everything they can to reach people in need, not only with relief that will keep them alive today but also with vital inputs for the planting season which is upon us," said aid chief Lanzer. "I call on the negotiators in Addis to ensure that a cessation of hostilities is in place and respected by all parties to the conflict. At the same time, I invite donors to come forward with the money needed now so that aid agencies have the means to help prevent an even greater tragedy from unfolding in early 2015." For more information, contact: Michelle Delaney | Public Information Officer, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan | [email protected] | +211 922406078 Posted in: Home, Foreign Relations, Humanitarian, Foreign Aid/Assistance, Featured Stories -- 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]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/SouthSudanKob/CAJb14op3KtRZFE-CHUhjn1UxtXfR2%3DaEce1dX685LzcFOpin5Q%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
