The problems associated with extreme poverty can seem overwhelming. Conflict. Hunger. Sickness. We can't change the whole world, but together, we can see one village transformed. With you, World Concern will walk alongside families in the village of Lietnhom, South Sudan, helping them build their lives and their community from the ground up. We'll focus on long-term solutions: water, education, farming, microfinance and more.
Years of oppression and war have led to extreme poverty in Lietnhom. Most families survive on meager incomes from raising cattle, or selling firewood or thatch. Small farms are rain fed and vulnerable to droughts, which are common here. There are only three wells in this village of 10,000 people, so many people collect water from filthy ponds. The children in Lietnhom show signs of malnourishment and sicknesses like malaria and typhoid. The majority of people are illiterate and unskilled.
Together, we'll make sure children are in school, where they belong. We'll teach farmers to grow sustainable, drought-resistant crops to feed their families. Through our vocational training center, which World Concern opened in 2010, we'll provide job skills and the tools and funding for people to start businesses. They'll learn the value of saving through village banks, and be able to pay for school fees and better support their families. We'll build wells and latrines and teach hygiene.
With job skills, families' incomes will increase. Clean water, sanitation and hygiene training will improve the health of villagers. Improved farming techniques will improve nutrition and food security. Educating children will open up opportunities for a better, more productive future than their parents' generation. Village banks and savings groups will help people save and be better prepared for potential crises, such as drought, in the future.
Blog post about Lietnhom Vocational Center
World Concern photos of South Sudan