{"id":1794,"date":"2025-07-27T11:02:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T11:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/?p=1794"},"modified":"2025-07-27T11:02:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T11:02:44","slug":"as-the-going-gets-tough-in-south-sudan-some-artisans-offer-cheap-footwear-made-from-rubber-tires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/as-the-going-gets-tough-in-south-sudan-some-artisans-offer-cheap-footwear-made-from-rubber-tires\/","title":{"rendered":"As the going gets tough in South Sudan, some artisans offer cheap footwear made from rubber tires"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From Rwanda to Kenya, turning discarded tires into footwear has long showcased the ingenuity of local artisans.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In South Sudan, that same creativity is now being driven by crisis. With the country grappling with a severe economic downturn, the government teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, and millions struggle to afford even the basics.<\/p>\n

As oil revenues dry up, civil servants\u2014including soldiers and teachers\u2014have gone unpaid for months, a stark reminder of the widespread hardship gripping the nation. In response, many are finding new ways to cope.<\/p>\n

For those in need of affordable shoes, the answer isn\u2019t found in stores but in bustling open-air markets, where worn-out tires\u2014once considered trash\u2014are transformed into rugged flip-flops and sandals by resourceful hands.<\/p>\n

Demand rises along with cost of living<\/p>\n

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\"Footwear<\/picture>\n

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Footwear crafted from recycled rubber tires are displayed on the ground in Wau, South Sudan, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo\/Michael Atit)<\/em><\/h6>\n

In the lively heart of Wau, a town situated roughly 650 kilometers (400 miles) from South Sudan\u2019s capital, Juba, shoemaker Emmanuel Achuil sits beneath the makeshift shelter of a weathered tarpaulin in the bustling main market. The air is thick with the sounds of haggling vendors and the scent of fresh produce mingling with dust.<\/p>\n

Achuil\u2019s hands, stained deep black from hours of working with rubber, move with practiced precision as he carves strips from old, discarded tires using a sharp blade. Around him, a kaleidoscope of colorful straps\u2014reds, yellows, blues are scattered across the ground, each piece waiting to be transformed. The straps, lying in disarray, resemble the scattered fragments of a puzzle, hinting at the vibrant sandals they will soon become under Achuil\u2019s skilled craftsmanship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source: union-bulletin<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Rwanda to Kenya, turning discarded tires into footwear has long showcased the ingenuity of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-rwanda"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_-300x206.jpg",300,206,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",640,439,false],"large":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",640,439,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"wpucv-grid-three":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",350,240,false],"wpucv-grid-two":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",583,400,false],"wpucv-grid-one":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"wpucv-classic":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",248,170,false],"wpucv-classic-small":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",150,103,false],"wpucv-galary":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",400,274,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_.jpg",729,500,false],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/687b7eb52d126.image_-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Saint Rich"]},"category_info":"Local<\/a> Rwanda<\/a>","tag_info":"Rwanda","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1796,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1794\/revisions\/1796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eandelmagazine.com\/eandelmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}