The South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) project implemented by ForAfrika in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is supporting displaced families to rebuild their livelihoods. With an aim of helping children to grow healthy, families to earn a living and communities to recover, the project provides nutritious food, nutrition training for mothers and offers agricultural inputs and tools as well as promoting sanitation and hygiene.

Mary Kaku is one of the beneficiaries of the SSHF project. For years, Mary Kaku, a 35-year-old widow and mother of nine, relied on selling charcoal at Pibor market to keep her family going. The income was small and uncertain, and it rarely stretched beyond the day’s basic needs.

“Before the project assistance, I tried vegetable growing but failed every time,” Mary says. “The crops would dry because of the long dry spells. I did not have the knowledge or the means to keep them alive.”

At home, the pressure was constant. “My family used to struggle with just feeding daily. Some days we would go hungry, except drink water,” she recalls. “The little I could earn from charcoal would barely feed us.”

Mary’s turning point came when she was selected to participate in the SSHF project. Through the project, Mary received practical training in vegetable gardening and simple tools, including a watering can and a rake. With these basics, she began growing vegetables even during the dry season.

The training also changed her household’s perception on food and nutrition. “Before the intervention, my family and community did not appreciate the fact that vegetables are good for human consumption,” Mary explains. “We were taught about the nutritional value of vegetables. And we learned that we don’t have to survive only on livestock products like milk and meat which are very expensive. Sometimes we could go for weeks without eating meat.”

Starting with jute mallow and amaranth, Mary began selling fresh vegetables at the market. As her harvests improved, she diversified into sukuma wiki (collard greens), now one of the most preferred vegetables in Pibor because of its taste and how fast it cooks. Her garden became a steady source of food for her children, and an income stream she could plan around.

With the proceeds, Mary has relocated her children from Langchot to live with her in Pibor town and secured more stable accommodation. “The family now eats three meals a day,” she says. “I have taken my youngest son back to school and paid the school fees fully.”