Ryder Lake/Sudan – Canadian Foodgrains Bank is one of Canada’s Top 10 Impact charities with a focus on ending global hunger. The Executive Director Andy Harrington is a Ryder Lake local, and he’s just returned home from visiting South Sudan, where he and the team witnessed the devastating impacts of the USAID cuts in the country, on multiple partners funded by Foodgrains Bank in the region, who have been forced to immediately shut down lifesaving programs for children, mothers, and communities.
Next stop for Andy will be Zimbabwe.
From Canadian Foodgrains Bank:
After returning to Canada this week, a group of Canadian humanitarian workers who
witnessed the devastating effects of the ongoing hunger crisis in South Sudan are eager to
share their firsthand accounts.
During their time in South Sudan, Canadian Foodgrains Bank executive director Andy
Harrington, senior humanitarian manager Stefan Epp-Koop, and resources and public
engagement director Christina Philips visited local communities experiencing critical levels
of hunger along the Sudanese border and met with humanitarian workers responding to the
crisis.
Millions of people have been fleeing the civil war in Sudan – the world’s largest
humanitarian crisis – and many have found refuge in South Sudan, exacerbating
widespread displacement and food insecurity in the region.
Now, the situation has been made overwhelmingly worse by aid cuts coming from USAID,
and other major donors of humanitarian assistance around the world.
“Seeing the scale of suffering and the resilience of the people in South Sudan was
incredibly sobering. These cuts have led to severe consequences in Aweil – ration cuts
across the camp, childhood malnutrition programs shutting down, and people struggling to
survive under unimaginable conditions,” says Harrington. “Yet, I saw on this trip how
Canadian aid is making a tangible difference – saving lives and easing suffering. In
situations where people are fighting for their lives, we’re proud to be supporting local
partners who are determined to be the helpers.”
Harrington says he’s grateful for the support of the Canadian government and its $4 million
grant to Foodgrains Bank to implement emergency food assistance in Sudan, through three
Foodgrains Bank member agencies and their local partners.
“As others turn away, Canada steps up to support Sudan, one of the most vulnerable
places in the world to hunger. This funding from the Government of Canada means more
than 28,000 people are not going to starve, and that’s one thing we can celebrate.
