A new report released last week by Plan International Australia and Monash University’s Gender, Peace and Security research centre describes the struggles of teenage girls in South Sudan as the conflict-ravaged country now enters its fifth year of war and its second year of severe food shortages.
The report is based on a survey with 250 girls aged 10 to 19-years-old living in five locales in South Sudan – one of which is a refugee camp bordering Uganda.
Every girl surveyed said she was worried about the growing food insecurity. The vast majority also said they usually go to bed hungry. Over 73 per cent of girls responded that they experience a lack of food while five per cent say they never have enough to eat.
This is not a place where you just pop down to Coles to pick up back-up supplies when the food runs out.
The report also found that one-third of the girls surveyed had been injured as a result of the conflict. Around 13 per cent said they had been abducted at some point.
“You have to put yourself in their shoes and imagine what it would be like if this was you in the situation or your family,” says Plan International Australia’s CEO Susanne Legena. “Many of us have gone through hard times but few of us have ever lived through this level of hunger and conflict.”
Legena describes how young girls lives are centrally impacted by food shortages.“Many of these girls head up households and are responsible for their family,” Legena tells SBS. “Often dad is away looking for work or involved in the conflict. Adolescent girls are the ones who have the role of looking for food. They collect water and firewood, and feed the family.
“Adolescent girls are often the last to be fed in the family as men and boys are prioritised first. So as a girl, you often eat least and last. Hunger is a constant companion in this context. Sometimes they eat grasses and whatever they can find, but what they are eating is not nutritious enough.”
Legena explains that climate change and civil war has destroyed land, crops and food supplies. “This is not a place where you just pop down to Coles to pick up back-up supplies when the food runs out. The environment has a real impact on whether you save enough food to eat or go hungry.
The report also reveals that three-quarters of the girls interviewed said conflict had negatively affected their state of mind. One-in-four South Sudanese girls said they considered ending their lives at some point during the past year.
Sometimes they eat grasses and whatever they can find, but what they are eating is not nutritious enough.
Plan International Australia is currently running an appeal to provide life-saving food and drought-resilient crops to girls and their families in South Sudan.
Plan Australia says the money received can go straight to communities in South Sudan to enable them to buy life-saving food and support the local economy.
“We also work with families on the ground to change the crops they are trying to grow so they grow faster and need less water, so they can get food for themselves,” says Legena. Money can also go towards working with other partner agencies on the ground to help end community hunger.
Legena acknowledges that the size of the issues in South Sudan may be overwhelming and too large for any one individual in Australia to fix. However, small donations add up and can make a difference in local communities.
“Just do what you can, where you can and know it will be very much appreciated and put to great use.”
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