Growing more than food in South Sudan

We are marking International Development Week, an opportunity to learn more about Canada’s role in international development and the important work that is being done in developing countries, from February 1 - 7. This story shares the experiences of one Canadian Red Cross worker in South Sudan:

After spending more than two years in South Sudan, Canadian Red Cross worker Pamela Riley brings home her many experiences and memories, as well as a sense of achievement in successfully building projects and relationships, including having a baby named after her.

Her project in Budi County, implemented in partnership with the South Sudan Red Cross and supported by the Government of Canada, focused on improving food security through the introduction of new farming techniques and by supplying various seeds and tools. It also focused on nutrition through dietary diversification. New crops were introduced in the area, including carrots which had never been seen by the community before - now people love the taste and are planting them.

“It was amazing how fast the time went,” said Pamela, pictured left with her namesake baby Pamela. “We had a fantastic team and accomplished some really tangible things which the community appreciated. One example is the Farmer Field School where farmers come together to learn different ideas in farming such as planting in rows, which wasn’t common. We would have them plant half of the field in rows and the other half through broadcasting  so they were able to see the difference in the yield and how much easier it was to weed with row planting.”

Convinced after seeing the crops’ progression, farmers shared this knowledge with other community members within their county. The quality and diversification of crops in the county even won the State Agriculture Show two years in a row for 2013 and 2014.

“A South Sudan Red Cross farmer won best farmer in the state and was awarded a new ox-plough. She could not believe it was real and she would wake up in the middle of the night to touch her new plough to make sure it was still there!”

Another successful project focused on s risk mitigation through alternative livelihoods. Teaching the community how to vary their income sources and how to save are useful coping mechanisms during shocks, she said.

“Another small scale food security initiative we introduced were energy saving stoves,” added Pamela. “They were made of mud and didn’t use a lot of wood, which is good for the environment.  They will also save women time allowing them to do other productive activities, such as gardening. We trained 112 people and word of mouth spread as women saw the benefit of these stoves they would make these stoves themselves; it was amazing to see how it took off. Now there are over 1,500 stoves in use.”

Pamela also recalled that upon her arrival more than two years ago, many people hadn’t heard of Red Cross or what the organization did for communities.

“A lot of Sudanese hadn’t heard of Red Cross, unless they were in refugee camps during the war,” she explained. “Within the county, we weren’t known. This project allowed us to develop fantastic relationships with communities and the government ministries who we included in our activities. Now there are 25,000 beneficiaries who we have touched in some way from farming, to water to hygiene and sanitation.”

The relationships made over the years will be remembered for a lifetime – maybe several, as to pay homage to the friendships made, people often name children after their friends in Red Cross.

“The security guard who helped me where I lived named his daughter after me; it’s the sincerest form of flattery,” said Pamela. “It’s a way of showing appreciation and that many amazing relationships were formed.”

For more information on Canadian Red Cross initiatives in South Sudan, read about ongoing projects here.

See more about International Development Week here.