{"id":5437,"date":"2025-07-02T14:05:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/?p=5437"},"modified":"2025-07-02T14:05:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:05:14","slug":"wfp-initiative-turns-aquatic-plant-into-a-source-of-livelihood-in-unity-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/?p=5437","title":{"rendered":"WFP Initiative Turns Aquatic Plant into a Source of Livelihood in Unity State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Rubkona \u2013 Al-Wadi Newspaper<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As thousands of families in Unity State continue to grapple with the impact of relentless flooding for over three years, humanitarian initiatives are stepping in with <strong>innovative, sustainable solutions<\/strong> aimed at strengthening community resilience and restoring hope for a better life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1366\" data-id=\"5439\" src=\"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP2.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP2-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In <strong>Rubkona County<\/strong>, <strong>Bakhita<\/strong>, a mother of four, recounts the hardship she faced after her village was submerged by floodwaters.<br><em>&#8220;When the floods came, we fled to the only dry place we could find. We had nothing. We gathered firewood just to sell some and buy food,&#8221;<\/em> she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for Bakhita and hundreds of other women, a ray of hope emerged through a <strong>World Food Programme (WFP)<\/strong> initiative that <strong>transforms water hyacinth<\/strong>\u2014an invasive aquatic plant that clogs South Sudan\u2019s waterways\u2014<strong>into eco-friendly cooking fuel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery aligncenter has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"592\" height=\"395\" data-id=\"5440\" src=\"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP1.jpg 592w, https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/WFP1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 592px) 100vw, 592px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At WFP training centres in Rubkona, more than <strong>2,400 people<\/strong> have been trained in the production of <strong>compressed charcoal briquettes<\/strong>, with over <strong>400,000 units<\/strong> produced so far. These briquettes offer a safer, more affordable alternative to firewood and provide a new source of income for vulnerable families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;What we\u2019ve learned has eased our suffering,&#8221;<\/em> says Bakhita. <em>&#8220;We never imagined that water hyacinth could be turned into charcoal and stoves. Now we use it, we sell our products, and we\u2019ve seen the impact first-hand.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through such initiatives, WFP is <strong>empowering local communities not only with aid but also with skills<\/strong> that help households move toward a <strong>more stable and self-reliant future<\/strong> in the face of climate change and repeated displacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This project stands as a model for <strong>sustainable development<\/strong>\u2014one that integrates environmental protection, economic empowerment, and social cohesion\u2014bringing renewed hope to those affected by natural disasters in a country still navigating its path to recovery.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rubkona \u2013 Al-Wadi Newspaper As thousands of families in Unity State continue to grapple with the impact of relentless flooding for over three years, humanitarian initiatives are stepping in with&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5437"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5441,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5437\/revisions\/5441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/derawetmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}