“Since a COVID-19 case was declared in South Sudan, I have not been myself. I was worried. How will we survive without our farm work? Only God knows how long it will take to stop this dangerous disease”, says 45-year old Elder Atim, a farmer.
At least 95 percent of the people in South Sudan are dependent on farming, fishing, and herding for food and income to meet their daily needs, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Most farmers survive on their farm produce to cover their family food needs or buy food for their families, send their children to school and pay their medical bills.
Farmers like Atim and her friends are dedicated to their work and they are happy. Now they are all worried about what will happen next with this pandemic. Atim lost all her nine children to various diseases because she could not afford to pay medical bills. Alone, she helps her sister take care of her four children. If COVID19 prevents her from farming, her fear is to lose them from hunger.