What we do today, determines their tomorrow (South Sudan & Uganda)
In South Sudan where JAM is active in several counties of Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Warrap, Unity and Jonglei State, it is projected that over 7.5 million people are in dire need of food assistance (WFP).
Women and children continue to be the most affected.
Some 2.2 million children are out of school and nearly 600,000 pregnant and lactating women are acutely malnourished.
JAM’s aim here has been improved access to emergency food, whilst simultaneously fighting flood-affected areas on the ground and providing communities with non-food items such as tarpaulins, mosquito nets, sanitary items and WASH training to over 31 000 people. Enabling early recovery and solutions to a protracted crisis such as these, as well as building community resilience is key to assisting these communities to survive, and eventually thrive.
A major cause for concern at JAM is the threat to the wellbeing of Africa’s children, the continued hunger crisis and now, the lack of education as a result of school closures due to the pandemic. JAM’s school feeding programs aim to address short-term hunger but the long-term effects are better school attendance and improved learning.
Learn more about our food and nutrition programming here.
Addressing child hunger head-on is an urgent mandate at JAM, with the alternative believed to be an Africa that is on the verge of a serious human development crisis. The result? Grave consequences for the social and economic wellbeing of Africa’s people and ultimately, the future of the continent.
In Uganda, JAM’s food security and livelihood interventions have led to much success. Kitchen gardens and community gardens are proving to be a sustainable, life-giving opportunity for the many thousands of refugees hosted in the East African country. JAM’s recent appointment as the lead livelihood partner in one of the major refugee settlements, Imvepi, is proof that vegetable gardens can save lives! A focus here has been on refugee women, ensuring that they are trained and provided with tools and seeds in order to start their own gardens where they produce fresh vegetables, both for household consumption and to earn a living. Vegetable gardens as a focus is a key element for averting food insecurity and promoting positive coping mechanisms in vulnerable communities.
COVID-19 has also highlighted the importance of a strong immune system and in vulnerable communities, this is the best defence against disease outbreak.
The importance of good nutrition cannot be underestimated in the role of healthcare and JAM’s food and nutrition initiatives go hand-in-hand with the provision of food security and livelihoods.
Learn more about the work that we’re doing to increase food security and livelihoods here.
The Coronavirus has been one of the biggest challenges in our recent history, and our response must not slow.
What we do today, in all our efforts, will determine a better tomorrow.
JAM’s aim to ensure an Africa that thrives will only be possible through the continued efforts of our teams on the ground, amongst the people, saving and changing lives.
We remain committed to fighting hunger across Africa, and bringing hope to the continent.
Ann Pretorius
Global CEO and Co-founder
JAM international
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