International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 calls for “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” (United Nations). In Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, these words resonate in contexts where drought and conflict collide - driving displacement, hunger, and protection risks while stretching already fragile services for women and girls. As the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG), we issue this joint call to recognise and respond to the compounded realities facing women and girls across these crises.

In Kuac South village in Warrap State, South Sudan, providing for a family of 13 once felt impossible for 45-year-old Joseph Ayok Ayok. But one Sunday in March 2024, during a church service, he heard about the Empowered Worldview program — a moment that would begin to change his life.

2025 had been a challenging yet productive year for World Vision in South Sudan. Despite funding cuts and growing humanitarian needs, we pressed on—guided by our faith and our commitment to serve. The year had been a testament that when Christ is placed at the centre of our work, hope endures and impact is possible, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Drawing on first‑hand experience from one of the world’s most fragile contexts, Paul Kinuthia, Senior Director, Food, Cash & Markets, Disaster Management, argues that repeatedly cutting food, health and protection services traps communities in endless crisis. He makes the case that narrowing aid to short‑term survival is a false economy that drives higher costs, deeper instability and repeated emergencies. The solution, the author provides, is urgent investment in resilience alongside life‑saving aid. This investment should be seen as a credible way to protect children and reduce the need over time.

When conflict in Malakal destroyed John Tuk Awi’s business, he lost everything — his income, his stability, and the future he had been building for his family. Years later, the Empowered Worldview program helped him rediscover hope and the confidence to rebuild his life.

Rising Together: Hope for Every Child | World Vision South Asia and Pacific 2025 Impact Report reveals how evidence-based programs reached 5.8 million children and 9.2 million people. Explore how we are tackling climate shocks, child hunger, and violence through locally-led solutions for children and communities across 15 countries.

This story is about Vivian, a young mother in South Sudan, and her baby Shushu who became very sick from malnutrition. After losing her husband, Vivian struggled to take care of her children. Shushu was treated with medicine but did not get better until she started receiving the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) at a nutrition center. The story shows how RUTF helps children recover, and how many families in South Sudan face hunger and malnutrition. It also shares Vivian’s hope for her daughter’s future, even while living in very hard conditions.

In Narang, World Vision nutrition hearths equip displaced mothers with skills and local foods to prevent malnutrition and help children thrive.

For years, David Mangok Ador believed his family’s survival depended on a government salary that often arrived months late. As the Payam Administrator of Kuac South and a father of ten, he frequently found himself and his household struggling in the face of uncertainty. But when he encountered a training that challenged how he viewed work and opportunity, David began to realise his future did not have to depend on a paycheck alone.