About Save the Children South Sudan
For more than 30 years, Save the Children has been a trusted partner to children, families and communities across South Sudan. Since 1991, we have stood alongside the most vulnerable children in a country beset by conflict, displacement, hunger, and the increasingly devastating impacts of climate-related disasters.
South Sudan remains one of the world’s most fragile humanitarian contexts. Millions of children face daily threats to their survival and development - from violence, displacement and acute food insecurity to disease outbreaks and periodic flooding that repeatedly disrupts schools, health services and livelihoods.
Together with local partners and the people of South Sudan, Save the Children remains committed to building a safer, healthier and more hopeful future for every child—ensuring that even in the toughest circumstances, children can survive, learn and thrive.
Amira*, 14, and her family travelled from Sudan to South Sudan to avoid conflict and arrived at a transit centre on the border in January 2025. There, the family received essential items and Amira* and her siblings attend a Child Friendly Space where they take part in activities and receive psychosocial support. Ezibon Saadalla / Save the Children
The Situation for Children in South Sudan
South Sudan faces one of the world’s most severe and protracted humanitarian crises. Since gaining independence in 2011, the country has been plagued by recurrent conflict, political instability, climate shocks and economic hardship, all of which have undermined development and dramatically worsened living conditions for millions of people. With a population of around 11.3 million, the United Nations estimates that over 9 million people now require humanitarian assistance, including access to food, healthcare, clean water, education and protection services.
The ongoing conflict has eroded social cohesion and dismantled protective environments for children and families. Widespread violence, displacement and insecurity have exposed children to extreme risks, including gender‑based violence, exploitation, abuse and forced recruitment by armed groups. Weak governance and fragile institutions have further hindered effective child protection mechanisms and access to essential services.
Humanitarian needs are driven by multiple, intersecting challenges:
Napita*, a mother of six with a seventh child expected, moved to a camp for displaced people in Bor, Jonglei State in South Sudan, to escape ongoing conflict. Save the Children provides nutrition services, including treatment for children with malnutrition, in the camp. In Bor, Save the Children provides new mothers and their babies with an outpatient therapeutic program for those with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), and also a targeted supplementary feeding programme for those with Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM). Save the Children is also supporting local schools in villages and refugees camps. In Maban, which populous refugee camps are located, Save the Children works in child protection, and supports local schools. Belinda Goldsmith/Save the Children
Conflict and displacement
Millions of South Sudanese have been internally displaced over years of instability, with conflict continuing to force families from their homes and disrupt livelihoods.
Time photograph was taken - 13:51. A lethal combination of conflict, climate change and hunger has gripped this corner of South Sudan – and 36-year-old mum Aker* has been at the sharp end of all three. Her husband was killed by Murle militias, amid the violence that has engulfed the region for years. She lost her home to floods that have intensified as our climate has changed. And she has lost two of her children to malnutrition – and feared she might lose a third when her youngest son Biel* became severely malnourished this year. Fortunately, Save the Children has been there for Aker, providing her with cash transfers to help the family make it through the toughest times of their lives. “The money is of great help to me,” Aker says. “We’ve used it for the children’s treatment or what they are eating. I have used some of it to rebuild my house, which was destroyed by flooding.” And we gave Biel treatment for his malnutrition, providing him with a specially formulated high-energy peanut paste called plumpy nut. He’s now getting back to full health. “I’m happy because my child became sick and now has recovered,” says Aker. Esther Mbabazi / Save the Children
Food insecurity and hunger
The food security situation is rapidly deteriorating, with 42% of the population (5.79 million people) currently in IPC 3+ and projections indicating this will climb to 53% (7.55 million) by the April–July 2026.
Numbers in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) have near-doubled, rising from 1.2 million to 2.2 million, with Upper Nile and Unity states expected to reach 65% food insecurity.
Critical hotspots include Fangak, where 11,000 people are already in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe), and regions like Aweil East and Renk, which face massive surges in Emergency-level populations.
A lethal combination of conflict, climate change and hunger has gripped this corner of South Sudan – and 36-year-old mum Aker* has been at the sharp end of all three. Her husband was killed by Murle militias, amid the violence that has engulfed the region for years. She lost her home to floods that have intensified as our climate has changed. And she has lost two of her children to malnutrition – and feared she might lose a third when her youngest son Biel* became severely malnourished this year. Fortunately, Save the Children has been there for Aker, providing her with cash transfers to help the family make it through the toughest times of their lives. “The money is of great help to me,” Aker says. “We’ve used it for the children’s treatment or what they are eating. I have used some of it to rebuild my house, which was destroyed by flooding.” And we gave Biel treatment for his malnutrition, providing him with a specially formulated high-energy peanut paste called plumpy nut. He’s now getting back to full health. “I’m happy because my child became sick and now has recovered,” says Aker. Esther Mbabazi / Save the Children
Malnutrition
Acute malnutrition remains extremely high, particularly among young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Over 2 million children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition during the 2026 lean season, with many requiring urgent nutrition support.
Amira*, 14, and her family travelled from Sudan to South Sudan to avoid conflict and arrived at a transit centre on the border in January 2025. There, the family received essential items and Amira* and her siblings attend a Child Friendly Space where they take part in activities and receive psychosocial support. Ezibon Saadalla / Save the Children
Health and Disease
Recent outbreaks—including cholera affecting tens of thousands of people and spreading across multiple states—have further strained an already weak health system, complicating efforts to deliver lifesaving care.
Achol*, 13, lives with her mother Aluong*, 30, and her four siblings in Bor, South Sudan. Since 2019, because of the terrible flooding in the area, the family have been forced out of their home and away from their land. They now live in a temporary shelter area as their land has been demarcated and is uninhabitable. The children’s father passed away and their mother Aluong* does not have a job so she is unable to pay school fees. Save the children has sponsored Achol*s education and enrolled her in the local school. The family survive on neighbours’ support and from what they grow in their small garden. The family has also lived through conflict and Achol* remembers running away from armed groups. Achol* wants to grow up and be educated so she can help her mother. Charles Atiki Lomodong
Climate shocks
Recurrent flooding over consecutive years has destroyed farmland, displaced communities and disrupted access to schools, markets and health facilities, worsening vulnerability and compounding food crises.
Together, these factors contribute to an environment where children’s basic rights to survival, protection, education and development are under constant threat. Urgent, sustained humanitarian response and long‑term investments in peace, resilience and systems strengthening are critical to prevent further suffering and help communities recover and thrive.
Our impact for children in 2025
1.32M
children supported with health and nutrition programmes
84,288
children supported with protection programmes
326,774
children supported with education programmes
7,619
children supported with cash and voucher assistance
What we do
We respond with multi-sector programmes that deliver life-saving support and long-term solutions. Our teams provide access to essential healthcare and nutrition services, screen and treat children for malnutrition, and strengthen health systems in hard-to-reach areas. We ensure children can learn in safe, resilient environments and are expanding education access through innovative climate-adapted schooling programmes, benefiting hundreds of thousands of learners.
Protecting children from harm is central to our work. We provide safe spaces and tailored case management for children affected by violence, unaccompanied or separated from families, and those at risk of exploitation and hazardous labour. We partner with communities, authorities and caregivers to reinforce child protection systems so that rights are upheld at every level.
Amid soaring humanitarian needs—where millions now require urgent assistance—we deliver cash support, food security and essential services, prioritising children, women and households facing acute risk. Recent funding from international partners has enabled us to expand health, nutrition and emergency assistance across conflict- and climate-affected regions.
HEALTH
We are working with governments and our partners to keep children healthy and safe throughout pregnancy and birth, and with the nutrition and medical care they need to reach their fifth birthday, and thrive into adulthood.
EDUCATION
We are supporting children affected by conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and poverty by helping them access quality education as well as pushing for investment in education and protection systems.
WASH
We are working to ensure children have access to clean water and dignified toilets across South Sudan to help prevent the outbreak of preventable diseases.
CHILD PROTECTION
We work to ensure that children are protected from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, and neglect and have a Zero Tolerance to Violence.
FOOD SECURITY & LIVELIHOODS
We are working to ensure every child and their family is able to thrive.
Amira*, 14, and her family travelled from Sudan to South Sudan to avoid conflict and arrived at a transit centre on the border in January 2025. There, the family received essential items and Amira* and her siblings attend a Child Friendly Space where they take part in activities and receive psychosocial support. Ezibon Saadalla / Save the Children
GET IN TOUCH
NATIONAL OFFICE ADDRESS
Save the Children International - South Sudan
Hai Malakal P.O. Box 170
Juba, South Sudan
EMAIL
info.southsudan@savethechildren.org
PHONE
+211920884260
News & Stories
20 Mar 2026
South Sudan: Death, distress – and a baby born in a canoe – as Akobo evacuates
One Save the Children staffer who was caught up in the violence has told a harrowing story of suffering and survival, following the repeated evacuations of towns across Akobo County in eastern Jonglei state since the start of the year.
12 Mar 2026
SOUTH SUDAN: Escalating violence forces Save the Children to suspend more operations in Jonglei state leaving families without essential aid
Escalating violence in South Sudan's Jonglei state has forced the withdrawal of aid agencies from key areas, triggering mass displacement and leaving families stranded and without essential and life-saving service.
5 Feb 2026
SOUTH SUDAN: Save the Children office and healthcare centre destroyed and looted as violence escalates in Jonglei state
Save the Children said it has suspended all operations in Walgak in Akobo Country and was pulling its 30 staff out of the area after its field office was burnt the ground and its Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) destroyed, cutting off essential services for hundreds of children and families.