A widow and mother of seven, Nyaniet stood in shock as she realized the water had already risen to her chest. The family had no choice but to wade through the water and leave the village that had once been their refuge after escaping conflict. This was four years ago, when flooding in South Sudan was as its most devastating since the 1960s, rendering villages uninhabitable and farmland submerged, notably across Unity State where Rubkona County is located. Since then, flooding, driven by heavy rain and rising Nile River levels, has continued to batter the country each year. In 2025, over 1 million people were impacted by the disaster – 87 per cent of them in Jonglei and Unity states alone.  Today, Nyaniet and her grown children, the youngest at 17 years old, live in one of five displacement sites in Bentiu, set up for flood victims and managed by the NGO Coalition for Humanity with support from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). At least 32,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) reside in these five sites (IDP Sites A to E), but numbers are constantly changing due to the literal fluidity of the situation. “More families are still coming here due to flooding in other towns. People are now drinking swamp water because the water points are overcrowded,” explained Nyaniet, describing the living conditions in IDP Site A.        Preventing towns and camps from drowningTo protect households in these sites and surrounding areas, dykes were constructed in 2021 in collaboration with the Government of South Sudan and development partners, and have since been regularly reinforced to manage rising water levels and reduce flooding risks.  The work is shared among UN agencies. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) oversees the largest stretch of the dyke, covering the perimeter around Bentiu and Rubkona towns, the camps, markets and remaining inhabited areas. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) maintains the dyke and road around the airstrip, military barracks and other key zones, while the World Food Programme (WFP) protects essential supply routes, including roads linking Bentiu with Juba and Sudan.  
When possible, communities take flood resistance into their own hands. In IDP Site D, a five-minute drive from Nyaniet’s home, a dyke committee was established three years ago, now comprised of 37 volunteer members - mostly women.In case there is breakage in the dyke, members, geared in mud-caked rainboots, use shovels and other available tools to reinforce the structure with sandbags. If the damage is beyond their repair, they raise the issue with their NGO partner focal points.“All members experienced their homes being flooded. They came here in water carrying their belongings on plastic sheets and risking snakebites,” said Martha, a member of the dyke committee and mother of five.  “Once there was breakage in the dyke at 2 am, and we called each other right away to take action. There was no time to waste because the risk of water seeping through is high.”        Solutions where climate and conflict collideWhile severe flooding has led to new displacements, it also deepened the suffering of people already trapped in protracted displacement. Unity State hosts the largest number of IDPs across South Sudan, as well as the country’s largest displacement camp - Bentiu IDP Camp - where 109,000 people reside. Most were displaced by conflict over a decade ago. This year’s aid reductions have taken a heavy toll on camp residents, with cut-backs in food rations as well as health and sanitation services, resulting in mounts of trash and dirty, unusable latrines. According to an intention survey, 54 per cent of those surveyed in March 2025 expressed an intention to stay in the camp, stating security, access to food and shelter, as well as flooding in their areas of origin, as key factors influencing their decision to stay. At the same time, an increased number of people have voiced a desire to return (38 per cent of those surveyed) or relocate (nearly four per cent of those surveyed) provided there is assurance of security, essential services and livelihood opportunities.    To support safe and voluntary returns and relocations, the Government, supported by the UN and NGOs and coordinated by the Area-Based Coordinator, are finalizing a three-year Durable Solutions Roadmap for Unity State in line with the national strategy. These efforts are deliberated and implemented inclusive of community voices. For example, a representative of the Women Forum, a group comprised of 100 women from the Bentiu IDP camp, regularly participates in meetings of the State Solutions Task Force for Unity State. At the national level, the Government of South Sudan is leading the efforts, with the UN and partners providing targeted technical support to advance the vision for durable solutions. By the summer of 2026, the objective is to support the sustainable return, local integration or relocation of 60,000 displaced people across South Sudan.In Unity, the priorities for 2025-2026 include the expansion of livelihoods interventions, such as start-up grants, savings groups and climate-adaptive farming pilots, as well as rendering previously submerged areas accessible to farming and animal husbandry activities, and providing security in areas of return and relocation.   From flooded land to fertile fieldsIn Unity State, where much of the land is still underwater, land reclamation has been a key priority. One example is a farm in Bentiu where Nyaniet heads to work every day at 6 a.m.For five years, this land in Bentiu South was completely submerged. But by January 2025, through IOM’s ECRP II project, funded by the World Bank, the land was finally reclaimed with efforts led by the Ministry of Finance and Planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and the Unity State Government.Since access to grazeable land was restored, farmers - including IDPs, returnees and host community members - have begun growing crops with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and WFP, through their joint implementation partner, Welthungerhilfe (WHH). They also participate in climate-smart agriculture training which takes into account South Sudan’s seasonality particulars to optimize what, when and where to plant, and develop a cropping calendar to coordinate harvesting across Bentiu.The organizations supplied a wide range of crops with the aim of diversifying the nutritious diets of communities. In the case of Nyaniet, she is growing eggplants, tomatoes, onions, cassavas, bananas and maize. “I am using the money earned to buy cooking oil and fish, and pay my son’s school fees. Last year, my family survived only on WFP food aid,” she shared.       
Crops like bananas, sugar canes and yams, which require moist soil, are relatively new to Unity. They were introduced to this farm pilot as a way to adapt to the new soil conditions altered by excessive rain and flooding over the past four years. In less than one year, the 100 supported-farmers made 17 million South Sudanese Pounds selling crops from the first harvest to the town’s market. This does not include the produce they retained for their families’ consumption. Farmers also preserve the best quality seeds for the next season so they can gradually break reliance on organizations for seeds.  “Without this farm, I would be eating water lilies,” said Nyaniet, acknowledging this year’s aid reductions including food, plastic sheets and sanitation services in the IDP site.      Following the farm pilots, the UN and its partners are stepping up durable solutions efforts as resources allow, including ongoing and planned disaster risk management interventions, land reclamation, and livelihood and agricultural activities.But rising water levels across Unity State, and shrinking funding, continue to pose major challenges. In November, partners recorded a 40 cm increase of water levels compared to the same time last year. Nyaniet reflected on the future: “As an older person, I cannot keep up with the news and can only rely on my eyesight to tell if water levels have risen. It is difficult to plan for next year but we hope for the best. Until I can go back or settle elsewhere, I want to continue farming.”   Footnotes: Text and photos, taken in November 2025, by Madevi Sun-Suon from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO). Thank you to the on-the-ground support of Melaku Gebremichael Abebe (ABC/IOM), Nyaruot Pech Mayian Riek (ABC/IOM), Johnboth Toang (FAO), Nyatap Paul Kuel (UNHCR) and Simon Mogga (WFP).

Twenty-year-old Luka recalls how a recent training reshaped his understanding of HIV, teaching him that people living with the virus deserve love, respect, and support and not stigma or discrimination.In the town of Malakal, where access to accurate sexual and reproductive health information was once limited, thousands of young people are learning about reproductive health, HIV prevention, stigma reduction and gender-based violence prevention.Before engaging in the training, Luka had a basic understanding of HIV, how it spreads, how it is prevented, and how people living with the virus could live healthy lives. His perception was shaped by myths, stigma, and silence.Armed with knowledge, Luka joined other trained youth in speaking out against HIV-related stigma. Today, he is part of a growing movement that encourages young people to go for testing, know their status, and treat those living with HIV with dignity and care.The training was supported by 2gether4SRHR, a joint UN regional programme in partnership with the Government of Sweden that aims to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. Luka’s work is crucial in a country where nearly 200,000 people are living with HIV, with youth ages 10 to 34 accounting for more than half of new HIV infections. “Before, people used to mock or isolate anyone known to be HIV-positive,” he says. “Now, many of us have changed how we think. We’re supporting our peers and spreading the right information.”Confronting harmful misconceptions For Anyang (22), dispelling myths around contraception has become a core part of her advocacy work, particularly as many community members wrongly believe that contraceptives harm young girls or could prevent them from having children later in life.“Many people still think contraceptives make schoolgirls barren,” she says. “We try to explain that they actually protect girls from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. But convincing some people is not easy.”Early and forced marriages are another major concern. Though community attitudes are gradually shifting, Anyang says the practice remains common in some areas.“When I hear about a girl being forced into marriage, I talk to her parents,” she explains. “If that fails, I will involve my friends and elders. Sometimes we succeed in stopping it. Sometimes we don’t. But we never stop trying.”Expanding youth-friendly health services Despite the progress in knowledge and awareness, challenges remain. Luka highlights the difficulty many youth face in accessing youth-friendly health services.“Even when we want to get tested or seek treatment, the health facilities are far away…”, he says. “There’s also fear that if someone’s HIV status becomes known, they will be isolated by the community.”By tackling stigma, spreading accurate health information, and challenging harmful cultural norms, youth are taking bold steps toward a more equitable and healthy future.“It breaks my heart to see a young girl drop out of school because she was forced to marry or get pregnant,” says Anyang. “That’s why I speak out. I want to protect my fellow girls' future.”

The Wardit watershed, a vast area situated between South Sudan’s Aweil East in Aweil Municipality, has long been regarded as a wasteland. It has remained largely unused for years. While many have admired its fertile landscapes, the recurring floods have consistently discouraged the communities from cultivating.Northern Bahr el Ghazal State remains vulnerable to frequent floods, unpredictable rainfall, and rising temperatures, which cause crop loss, soil degradation, and water shortages—making most households food insecure. Seasonal floods displace thousands of people every year, while drought and soil erosion reduce agricultural output and grazing land. The state is also a significant destination for returnees from Sudan, putting additional pressure on already limited land, water, and essential services. As climate shocks intensify, cycles of displacement, livelihood destruction, and social tension are likely to worsen unless resilience and adaptation efforts are strengthened. In 2024, change took root when 48 local farmers received training in sustainable, climate-smart farming methods through the Watershed Approaches for Climate Resilience in the Agro-pastoral Landscapes (WACRESS) Project.  UNDP and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, with funding from the Global Environment Facility through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), aim to reach approximately 75,000 people from agricultural and pastoral communities through WACRESS and bring 15,000 hectares of land under improved practices. The project will restore ecosystems and build long-term climate resilience among agro-pastoral communities using participatory watershed-based approaches. World Vision South Sudan implements in Aweil East and Aweil Centre counties in Northern Bahr el Ghazal.Atak Deng Diing, 38, a resident of Ariakriak Village in Mayom Wel Boma, Mangar Tong Payam, benefited from the WACRESS training in 2024. Using the skills he learned, he expanded his vegetable farm from one feddan (1.03 acres) to four feddans (4.12 acres). On his farm, he intercrops okra, Jew’s mallow, pumpkin, hibiscus, peas, and maize, earning an average monthly income of 1,000,000 SSP from selling his surplus produce. With the larger harvest, Atak is now able to meet his family’s needs, including providing nutritious food and paying school expenses for his 14 children.“I was able to escape food insecurity through the help of the WACRESS vegetable farming initiative.” It’s no longer surprising to us that people are eating and selling vegetables during the dry season. In the past, most vegetables were only grown during the wet season. Thanks to the vegetables I sell, I can now support my family,” says Atak Deng.Atak was one of the farmers who attended Climate-Smart Agriculture training sessions at a local demonstration site. These hands-on trainings used locally available materials and were facilitated. He leads a group of 30 farmers formed through the WACRESS project, which is supported with seeds and farming tools. `  Atak has generously shared his knowledge with others in his village, influencing around 200 people, including his mother, Abuk Garang, 54, to join him in dry-season vegetable farming. Some of the climate-smart agricultural practices he learned through the WACRESS project and passed on to others include watershed management, climate-resilient farming techniques, farm monitoring, line planting, proper crop spacing, and environmentally friendly methods for managing pests and diseases. These improved practices are helping farmers adapt to changing weather patterns and increase their harvests. As a result, the Wardit watershed is being restored to productive use, marking a new chapter for small-scale farmers who now see real potential to move beyond subsistence and into commercial farming. Abuk Garang, who owns a separate farm from her son, narrates how Atak dropped out of school due to the hardship of raising fees. She is now very optimistic, having grown and sold throughout the year, which has earned her extra income to support the children’s school fees.“Though I am growing older and tired of farm work, my son Deng taught me and the community how to water our plants during the dry season. I now have extra produce to feed my children and sell. He also supports me with his farming income. Together, we will make sure his siblings finish their education so I can enjoy the benefits of modern life in the future,” Abuk Garang exclaimed.To ensure lasting impact, the WACRESS project has established nursery sites in all 12 bomas, enabling farmers to learn improved farming techniques through hands-on demonstrations that they can apply on their own farms. Tree orchards have also been established in all 12 bomas. Farmers will plant crops between the tree rows to demonstrate agroforestry; a key part of climate-smart agriculture that helps address climate change patterns. The Watershed Approaches for Climate Resilience in the Agro-pastoral Landscapes (WACRESS) Project aims to mainstream climate change adaptation strategies into policy by focusing on agriculture, natural resources, forest management, and agro-industry at both the national and state levels. It will also work to increase the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, benefiting 25,000 people (11,910 male, 13,091 female) through improved seeds, multi-cropping, crop diversification, crop-livestock systems, and agroforestry.

A ghost town in recoveryMalakal used to be a bustling city, the second largest in South Sudan after the capital Juba. But since conflict erupted in 2013, what was once a thriving trading hub along the White Nile has largely become a ghost town, devastated by years of fighting and shifting frontlines, and isolated by a lack of roads. 

The challenges of the past two years alone feel endless: renewed violence, influx of refugees and returnees from Sudan, a cholera outbreak declared, to name a few.Yet the people in South Sudan refuse to give up. Since the start of the conflict in 2013, nearly 3 million formerly displaced persons have returned home, within the country and from abroad, amid moments of cautious peace. The Upper Nile State, home to Malakal, has the largest number of returns with over 700,000 returnees reported, including 400,000 who were formerly displaced within the country. Some 225,000 remain internally displaced.“The situation is not always encouraging. But the thought that I still have work and that my children can go to school helps me get through each day,” said 28-years old Cecilia, a displaced vegetable seller and the breadwinner for her family of seven. 
     
With her home destroyed in past fighting, Cecilia and her family have been living in the Malakal “Protection of Civilians” (PoC) site, a safe haven established by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) since 2013 to protect civilians in imminent danger. Her husband struggles to find lasting employment, while Cecilia goes to the town center every day to sell at her stall. When clashes broke out near Malakal earlier this March, the family stayed in the site for several weeks without leaving, fearing for their lives. Cecilia only resumed working in the market in May for limited hours, going back to the PoC site before the crack of dawn. 
 “I have to support my family, no matter what,” she stressed.  
Adapting to funding threats 
In 2025, communities in South Sudan are grappling with volatile clashes, hunger, disease outbreaks, climate impacts and protracted displacement. Over 92 per cent of the population live in poverty. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance – the majority are women and children. More than 2 million people are internally displaced, including 900,000 in camps and displacement sites. The situation is further exacerbated by unprecedented funding cuts, affecting work in humanitarian assistance, development and peacebuilding. Many health facilities and services have already shut down, with medical supplies reduced, cutting access to healthcare for as many as 1.6 million people, including pregnant women and malnourished children. Reductions in food aid are endangering families already struggling to survive.
  Amidst shrinking resources and thousands of staff reductions, the UN and its partners are scaling up area-based coordination - a more localized approach that decentralizes decision-making - to enhance operational efficiency and reduce aid dependency.Area-based coordination brings together humanitarian, development and peace workers at the state level to conduct joint programming informed by community priorities, exchange information, synergize joint efforts and avoid overlaps. So far, three Area-Based Coordinators are in Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahr el Ghazal. By December, there will be an Area-Based Coordinator covering each of the ten states in South Sudan. This area-based approach is not new to the operation, having been piloted in three states since 2023. It also coincided with the Government’s launch of its Durable Solutions Strategy, one year later, in an effort to create lasting solutions for South Sudanese living in protracted displacement - shifting away from a historically humanitarian-dominant response. Supporting safe returns – when possible 
In Upper Nile, area-based coordination has already been put to the test to support voluntary returns from the Malakal PoC site. In 2023, a group of displaced community members originally from Hai Matar, in Malakal, came together to voice to the Government their desire to leave the PoC site. The area is only a 20-minute drive from the PoC site, but families struggle to go back without assurances of safety, essential services and livelihood opportunities.The community’s demands were raised with the Area-Based Coordinator, who brought together local authorities and field focal points from NGOs and UN entities to chart an action plan for returns to Hai Matar, in line with the Durable Solutions Roadmap for the Upper Nile. Given Malakal’s history as an epicenter of conflict, a key priority was to ensure the environment was safe for return. Between April and September 2024, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) cleared 5 million square meters of land contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance. At the same time, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) protection teams conducted verification exercises and assisted families in the PoC site with restoration of land title deeds and legal counseling prior to them moving. This was key to minimize land disputes among neighbors, allowing peaceful relocation. Then came the shelters: 118 constructed by UNHCR and 51 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to house the 900 returnees. To enhance protection and security, UNHCR established a police point on site, with UNMISS, as well as a community center that offers a safe space for women’s groups and residents to discuss shared concerns. All of these efforts were carried out under the leadership of community leaders and the Government, including the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), in partnership with NGOs who drive implementation on the ground.
 Before: 
    After: 
   A new beginning in Hai Matar
Families have started returning to Hai Matar in late 2024, the majority this year. Gathy, his wife, and four children - three boys and a baby girl who grew up in displacement - were among the returnees, first stepping into their new home in the summer. They fled Hai Matar in 2019 for the PoC site, seeking refuge from the fighting. What they initially thought would be a temporary arrangement soon turned into six years of life in a crowded tent. “There were too many people for the little space that we had. There was no room for breathing,” recounted Gathy of his former life.  
His new home in Hai Matar, made out of mud mixed with soil and dry grass, now has separate rooms for his wife and children’s privacy. He has an iron sheet roof that protects against the rain, and a garden space where he grows tomatoes, okras, hibiscus and eggplants. His ducks roams freely without the fear he once had that they might be stolen. Gathy used to cook for a cafeteria in the PoC site, but the money earned, on top of the food aid he received, was only enough for his family’s day-to-day survival.Today, he has entrepreneurial aspirations: “These days, I take on cash-for-work jobs when possible and sell my ducks’ eggs. Once my vegetables are grown, I plan to sell them at the market in town.” “I hope the income will allow me to buy food, pens, and pay my children's school fees. My wish is for all my children to go to school and live a life free from these hardships,” he added.     
For now, the family receives food aid rations and water trucking while longer-term projects are underway. UNMAS continues to clear land of remaining remnants of war in Hai Matar, facilitating farming projects by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and IOM’s installation of a fully solar-powered water supply system. Hai Matar is just the starting point, with area-based coordination plans already in place to support returns to Hai Salam, a more remote area farther from Malakal’s city center, as resources permit.   No straight path home 
While return movements remain dynamic across South Sudan, those in displacement also continue to need assistance. For families who have lived in displacement for years on end, unable to return home, their needs extend beyond humanitarian relief to having access to capacity-building and livelihood opportunities – enabling people to rebuild their lives until the day they no longer need aid. In the Malakal market, Cecilia recounted her experience last year as one of 1,000 entrepreneurs in Upper Nile who attended business training led by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of South Sudan: “I learned record keeping and budgeting, which has helped me feel more in control of my business.” Cecilia received an interest-free loan in two installments, with repayment due in 12 months. She used the money to buy sorghum, a drought-resistant cereal grain, from another city in Upper Nile as part of her business plan to diversify her stall. Once repaid, the loans are extended to other qualifying applicants, allowing for sustainability. 
 “I am thankful for the support which has restored our confidence,” she shared.
  
The sorghum was very popular with her customers, enabling her to save some income, which she sets aside to rebuild a house outside the PoC site. Cecilia, who has successfully repaid her loans, is also a part of a women's group, locally known as “sanduk sanduk,” that saves money on a daily basis. But in South Sudan, external shocks remain a key challenge to sustaining livelihoods. The economy’s instability has caused her savings to reduce in value amidst prices that kept changing “every week.” Severe flooding this year, which has displaced over 335,000 people across 16 counties, has devastated farmland, resulting in a lower-than-average supply of vegetables for her to sell. Additionally, many of her former customers from neighboring towns have yet to return after being displaced by clashes in March. Cecilia voiced her message to the international community: “Mothers here are struggling to raise their children. Women and girls in South Sudan continue to need help, especially opportunities to learn and grow so they can support their family.” Back in Hai Matar, Gathy echoed a similar sentiment: “In South Sudan, we need to work in unity to lift our country because it is a young nation and it needs a lot of work. All of us are working to uplift our country. I hope one day we won't need to rely on help.”
  
Footnotes: Text and photos, taken in October 2025, by Madevi Sun-Suon from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) unless otherwise noted. Thank you to the on-the-ground support of Dalibor Stanusic (UNMAS), Charles Chop Kuony Wapuoy (UNHCR), Mahmood Godo (UNDP) and Sabit Bol (IOM).