The recent visit of UNICEF Ambassador Tom Hiddleston highlighted the plight of children in South Sudan and how the three-year-long civil war there is tragically impacting their lives.
The country has suffered a massive economic collapse during that time period. Between food harvests being dramatically reduced and a widespread cholera outbreak, children in the nation are in the midst of a health and nutrition crisis. In 2016, upwards of 170,000 children have been diagnosed as malnourished.
Since the war broke out three years ago, nearly 3 million people from South Sudan have fled the country, nearly 500,000 of those refugees being children. Additionally, it is estimated that nearly 1 million children inside South Sudan’s borders are displaced as well. UNICEF works to protect and care for these children by providing food, water, vaccines, education, and mental health services.