Reaching Families Threatened by South Sudan’s Cholera Outbreak
South Sudan is experiencing the longest cholera outbreak in its history, with more than 100,000 people infected and 2,500 deaths since July 2024. In this resource-strained country, where few have reliable access to safe, clean drinking water, waterborne diseases like cholera can spread rapidly, putting thousands of lives at risk. CMMB has launched an emergency response to stop the spread of this deadly disease, delivering clean water supplies to families most at risk and collaborating with government groups and local and international groups to provide additional lifesaving support.
Travel is difficult in remote areas of South Sudan, where seasonal flooding submerges large stretches of land. But Eliza was not deterred.
A CMMB-supported community health worker in Renk County, Eliza was determined to visit every household in her community. Her country is responding to a deadly cholera outbreak, and Renk County—the northernmost county in South Sudan—is among the hardest hit. CMMB has been part of the country-wide response, distributing P&G Purifier of Water (POW) sachets in Renk, Upper Nile State, and Juba, Central Equatoria State. POWs are used to purify water, making it safe to drink. One sachet can purify 10 liters of potentially contaminated water in only 30 minutes. Eliza distributes this lifesaving resource to households across Renk. As she traveled from home to home, she removed her shoes so she could walk barefoot along pathways soaked with water. Every step through the mud brought her closer to a family who needed her help.
“The community is us, and we must serve them,” Eliza shared. “I don’t want to see a child, mother, or elderly person dying of cholera or any other disease related to water when there is a purifier [POW] available.”
Eliza’s work during this emergency has been grueling. But it’s the families and their gratitude that keep her going. For Sunday, a mother in Renk, Eliza’s delivery was a promise of better health for her two children.
“Now I feel safe,” she told us. “Looking at how the water was and now how clean it is, no more diarrhea for my kids.”
Continuing Our Emergency Response in South Sudan
Even during a deadly cholera outbreak, other crises threaten South Sudan’s future. Its people, who have withstood years of hardship and violence with resilience, are confronting a worsening hunger crisis. More than 24.6 million people are facing high levels of food insecurity. Families have been displaced, forced by growing political violence to leave their homes. Greater challenges might lie ahead. Weather forecasts show that the flooding that devastated South Sudan in 2024 may be just as severe this year, and potentially worse.
Amid these challenges, CMMB continues delivering lifesaving support to South Sudan. We are supporting the Ministry of Health-led cholera vaccination campaign and providing critical information to families on how to prevent and where to get treatment for cholera.
CMMB also supports two mobile clinics in Nasir County, also in the north, offering pediatric treatment, emergency care, and nutrition services to families who have been displaced. We are providing hospital beds to the Nutrition Stabilization Centre in Renk County Hospital, a critical need in a facility where children were sleeping four to a single bed. As the situation evolves, CMMB will continue to support a consortium of local and international groups working to respond to South Sudan’s complex emergency.
(Photography/John Mudd)
