What Makes South Sudan’s Water Crisis Different From Other Countries
When I told my friend Eric where I’d landed my new job and what I'd be doing, he didn’t hesitate before asking the question I’ve now heard many times, “Why South Sudan?” He paused, then added, “Why not Detroit, Michigan? or Guatemala?”
It wasn’t an unkind question. It was an honest one. And at the time, I realized I didn’t yet have the full answer, at least not the kind of answer that goes beyond a sentence or two. That conversation is what eventually sparked the idea for our Why South Sudan page. But this post is about going deeper, beyond the overview and into the why behind the work.
Eric’s question stuck with me because it reflects how many of us think about global needs. There are real crises everywhere, in our own cities, across borders, and around the world. Communities in Detroit still struggle with access to safe water. Guatemala faces ongoing humanitarian challenges, particularly in rural areas. These places matter.
So why focus on South Sudan?
The short answer is: because the need is extreme, persistent, and foundational. But the longer answer requires understanding what life looks like when clean water isn’t readily available.
When Water Shapes Every Part of Life
In many parts of South Sudan, access to clean water determines nearly everything:
Where people live
Whether children go to school
How healthy a community can be
Whether families stay together or are forced to migrate during the dry season
In rural villages like Panyijiar, families often rely on surface water such as rivers, ponds, or shallow hand-dug holes—sources shared with animals and easily contaminated. During the dry season, these sources can disappear entirely. What remains is often unsafe, but there is no alternative.
Clean water isn’t just one need among many in South Sudan — it’s the need that everything else depends on.
Why WFSS Solely Focuses on South Sudan
Water for South Sudan works in some of the most remote and underserved regions of the country, places where infrastructure is limited and outside resources rarely reach. The organization doesn’t just drill wells and leave. It partners with communities, trains local leaders, and builds systems that can be maintained long after a project is completed.
This matters because clean water isn’t sustainable unless the community owns it.
Why Not Somewhere Else?
Eric’s question about Detroit and Guatemala still matters. Caring about South Sudan doesn’t mean ignoring needs elsewhere.
Global work isn’t about choosing one crisis because others don’t matter. It’s about recognizing where your mission, expertise, and long-term commitment can make the greatest impact.
In South Sudan, clean water is often the difference between constant crisis and the chance to build something lasting. It’s one of the most effective ways to support health, education, and resilience all at once.
The Answer I’d Give Now
If Eric asked me again today, my answer would be much clearer:
We focus on South Sudan because, in many rural areas, there is virtually no existing water infrastructure to build on. Clean water isn’t being improved, it's being introduced for the first time. In places like Guatemala, water projects often mean upgrading, repairing, or expanding systems that already exist: piped water, municipal oversight, or nearby sources that are unsafe but present. Those efforts are vital — but they operate within a framework that already exists. In much of rural South Sudan, that framework is absent.
We focus on South Sudan because clean water there doesn’t just improve lives, it creates the conditions for life to move forward. Because when you address water at the source, you don’t just help one person for one day. You help entire communities imagine a future that isn’t shaped by survival alone.
That’s the deeper “why” behind the landing page. And it’s the reason this work matters.