Navigating the Waters: One Community’s Fight To Tackle Hunger in South Sudan

Amid dangerous flooding, a group of farmers are growing rice in submerged fields

Feb 7, 2025 3:10 PM ET

Aweng Thang wades through water with her daughter in Old Fangak.

Ten-year-old, Nyma waits for her mother to return home from serving tea to the local authority. They both live in an abandoned classroom in the school she used to attend before it closed due to the floods. Using locally sourced grass, they built a floating pontoon on top of the concrete classroom floor to mitigate the rising flood water. Nyma gets anxious when her mother is away and misses her old home.

Nyayiena at home in the background is an abandoned classroom. She is living on a floating pontoon. By tightly packing many layers of grass on top of one another, the floor becomes a floating floor that will rise and fall with the flood water.

A family sit on their floating pontoon made from tightly packed grass.

A man and wife float down the White Nile on a grass mound. They hope to reach New Fangak with the current of the river.

Adit Kak and her family sit on their floating home. Although they are able to catch fish, they live in isolaton since the flood water ook their old home in October. " We lost everything in the floods but we do not want to leave this place. We have lived here all our lives and call this place home" says Adit.

Deng Yell lost both his hands in the war and remains isolated on his floating home. The home is floating due to tightly packing layers of grass on the floor, which acts as a floating pontoon.

Torrential downpours and floods have put millions of people at risk in South Sudan.

Nya Jol living precariously close to the flood line. It has been five years since the floods wrecked havoc on her community. "My husband goes to market often to find work, while I remain here to look after the children. I hope he finds some casual work soon so we can buy vegetables to eat with the fish we catch" says Nya.

Portrait of Nya Jol outside her flooded home. "My husband goes to market often to find work, while I remain here to look after the children. I hope he finds some casual work soon so we can buy vegetables to eat with the fish we catch" says Nya.

Torrential downpours and floods have put millions of people at risk in South Sudan. The country once had seasonal rainy and dry periods, but the past several years filled with unprecedented natural disasters has permanently altered the landscape. The unpredictable rain and extreme weather have left 226,000 people displaced and eight million people hungry.

In fact, floods have submerged entire neighborhoods, destroying schools, homes, and markets alike. Nearly 60 healthcare facilities have been inundated, and 15 major roads are obstructed. Countless families lack access to basic necessities like food, clean water, shelter, and medical care.

Action Against Hunger teams have been on the ground in South Sudan since 1985, working in places like Paguir, Old Fangak, and New Fangak to help people in need. Even before the floods began, vulnerable communities throughout the country struggled with food shortages and poverty. The country has 2 million internally displaced people and hosts over 330,000 refugees, including those who fled Sudan’s civil war.

This year, the teams knew the floods weren’t going anywhere. Action Against Hunger’s new project taught farmers how to grow rice within the flood waters. Since the program began, numerous men, women, and children have enjoyed healthy and nutritious rice-based dinners. In the past, many resorted to eating waterlilies to curb hunger.

The crisis isn’t over. Floodwaters have continued to cut off people from aid and threatened some of South Sudan’s most vulnerable. Still, we’re proud to showcase the resilience of the farmers who refused to give up—and who show bravery every day. Take a look at some striking photos of South Sudan’s rice growers and the perils they face.

Hunger to Hope

Action Against Hunger teaches farmers in Old Fangak how to grow rice within the flood waters. “The rice project from Action Against Hunger has helped to secure our household food,” said one woman, Adior. “Right now, my children have all their meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I also managed to buy my children’s school uniforms and pay all their fees. We do not have problems anymore. The rice project has improved the household’s well-being.”

Learn more here.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 59 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

All photos by Peter Caton

Written by Kenneal Patterson, Senior Communications Associate

Navigating the Waters: One Community’s Fight To Tackle Hunger in South Sudan

Amid dangerous flooding, a group of farmers are growing rice in submerged fields

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