March 8 — International Women's Day — passes by like any other day in South Sudan's flooded grasslands of Jonglei State, a region notoriously and consistently on the edge of emergency food insecurity and famine.

This region is home to 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have fled their homes to escape conflict, flooding or both. According to the World Food Programme, women head 70% of households there, and most of them are widows.

In conflict areas, where resources are scarce, widowed women are often abandoned by their late husbands' families and forced to support themselves and their children alone.

However, amidst this challenging reality, there is a small pocket in Jonglei State’s Ayod County where widowed women are thriving in the face of adversity. Thirty-year-old Nyalual Mathieng is one of them.

Nyalual, like countless other women in Ayod County, became a widow when her husband died in South Sudan's civil war. His death thrust her into the role of supporting their three children alone. The subsequent flooding in 2020 compounded her hardships, particularly since she was three months pregnant with her fourth child.

The floods inundated her entire village, forcing her to flee with her children in a makeshift canoe crafted from loosely tied pieces of wood. It took Nyalual two weeks to reach higher ground in Ayod County, where she erected a makeshift shelter and joined thousands of displaced people already camped at the site.

She and her children had survived, but life in Ayod was incredibly challenging because Nyalual had no money and no way to feed her children. She got by foraging for firewood in the bush and selling it in the market, affording only a small cup of sorghum to feed her family.

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

The severity of Nyalual's situation took a toll and her baby daughter became dangerously malnourished. She and her daughter were admitted her to a nearby nutrition program, where her daughter received lifesaving care and where Nyalual was introduced to the Livelihoods Options Support to IDP Households (LOSIH) initiative. Established in 2020 by Corus International, LOSIH is a market-based livelihood initiative.

"The project's goal is to end generational dependency on foreign aid by enhancing market effectiveness through sustainable methods," said Mark Abaha, senior technical manager at Corus International. 

"Given the magnitude of the challenge, our approach needed to address not only immediate needs but also break the cycle of generational poverty, which led to the launch of the LOSIH project," Abaha added. 

Since its establishment, approximately 10,000 individuals, predominantly women, have received training in fishery, poultry, and farming or horticulture. They have also acquired essential skills in marketing, finance, and investment, and learned how to operate a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA). Subsequently, they launched their businesses, directly benefiting over 52,000 people with their income.

Nyalual chose training in vegetable cultivation, and soon after, her garden produce started fulfilling her family's nutritional needs.

The LOSIH project has also strengthened bonds between the women in the community. The women have learned from each other and now support each other. 

From Tragedy to Triumph

South Sudan ranks among the world's most hunger-stricken nations, with 46% of its population experiencing acute food insecurity. The situation is most dire in regions like Ayod and Uror, where the majority of residents are displaced individuals.

Conflict, climate shocks, drought, flooding, displacements, and the loss of lives and livelihoods have converged in the country, creating compounded and prolonged challenges for its people.

A recent survey revealed that Corus International’s approach is having a profound impact in Ayod, where 30% of project participants have stabilized their incomes and generated an average of $50 per month from the sale of their products.  

Participants from fishery training currently earn more than $250 per month. The total value of fish harvested in 2023 by participants amounted to more than $226,000. Of this, $76,000 worth of fish was consumed, while $150,000 worth was sold in the markets.

Nyalual and her peers produced $2.8 million worth of agricultural outputs in 2023, consuming $1.5 million and selling $1.3 million in the local markets.

Since the inception of the LOSIH project in 2020, the combination of skill enhancement training and subsequent material support has resulted in a significant 50% reduction in food insecurity among project participants, along with a noteworthy 10% decrease in malnutrition.

Hope for the Future

Today, Nyalual grows okra and beans and owns a large garden that spreads over an acre of land that surrounds her hut. She is able to feed her children and, last year, Nyalual's home garden did so well that she was able to sell the excess in the market.

When asked about her greatest hope for her family, Nyalual responded, "I am planning for a better life for my children. My children are in school, and the money I make selling excess produce in the market pays for their education."

Authors: This post was written by Muhammad Tahir, senior manager for media and public relations, and Crystal Stafford, Communications Manager, East and Central Africa at Corus International. For more information, please visit the Corus International website.