South Sudan
South Sudan is the worlds youngest nation, gaining their independence from Sudan in 2011 after 3 decades of civil war.
In December 2013 a new civil war erupted, and has since displaced 3.4 million people. A peace accord was signed in 2019, but many of the reasons behind the outbreak of war still remain. It's a fragile peace at best.
The United Nations estimates that
9.4 million people
​
are in need of humanitarian aid in South Sudan as of December 2025.
Our Village:
Old Fangak
Before the civil war Old Fangak was home to about 5,000 people, with another 10,000 living in the surrounding area. But the war changed everything. The small rural village has become a haven for people fleeing fighting up and down the Nile. These people, officially called Internally Displaced Persons, or IDPs, have become refugees in their own country. Since 2014, 30,000 or more came to Old Fangak and made it their home.
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In May of 2025 most of the population of Old Fangak moved to other villages after South Sudan military gunships dropped bombs on the village. On August 30, 2025 the dike protecting Old Fangak from the water of the swamp and the Zaref River failed. The village is entirely flooded and only a few caretakers and security personnel remain.
Located in northeastern South Sudan, Old Fangak is primarily home to people of the Nuer tribe. It sits on the Zaraf River, a branch of the Nile, in one of the largest swamps in the world: the Sudd. There are no roads to Old Fangak, and it is only accessible by boat or small aircraft.
Remote & Isolated
Like our home state of Alaska, most of South Sudan can only be reached by plane or boat. There are no roads across most of the country, and certainly none in the Sudd - a swamp that can swell to the size of France during the rainy season. Much of the area where we work is flooded. It is one of the most challenging places in the world to deliver humanitarian aid and especially clean drinking water.
The Statistics
Health
one
in
five
children will die
before the age of five
70%
of people don't have access to clean water
7 million
people facing food insecurity
Women are more likely to die during childbirth than they are to get a high school education.
*South Sudan has the highest Maternal Mortality rate in the world.