Riverboat to Freedom

Rescuing the Masses as Thousands Await Asylum in South Sudan

They wait in long lines, sometimes for days, to get on a rescue boat that will transport them down the river to safety. Since fighting broke out in Sudan’s capital in April, nearly 200,000 people have crossed the borders into South Sudan – many being returning South Sudanese who fled to Sudan years ago during the civil war.

Now they’re leaving everything behind and risking their lives to return to South Sudan, because it’s too dangerous to remain. Some are injured in the escape. Some have run out food and water while they wait for transportation to get out of the country. The Malakal refugee camp near the northern border has seen 17,000 people arrive in the past four months alone. The numbers continue growing daily.

The majority of refugees arriving “are women, children, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable people,” according to a recent Caritas report. Malnutrition among women and children is reportedly high due to the shortage of food assistance.

Recently the Vatican Secretary of State and Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya and South Sudan visited the Malakal camp, to assess the needs and encourage the people. Sudan Relief Fund partner on the ground, Fred Otieno, accompanied the visitors to demonstrate the plight of the refugees.

Sudan Relief Fund and partners are working diligently to provide basic food and shelter to the masses of incoming refugees, as well as clean water and hygiene items. In the meantime, thousands remain trapped in Khartoum or Sudan, trying to get out.

In May, Sudan Relief Fund supporters helped furnish a rescue boat to transport trapped refugees to safety. The boat carries 800 passengers over a two-day journey to the northern border of South Sudan. Your support has kept this lifeline running.

But so many are still waiting for help. With the necessary resources, it costs just $55 per person to transport each passenger out of danger and potentially save a life. That’s $55 a person to rescue families from the horrors of war raging around them. Funds also help provide a little food to exhausted families during the two-day journey.

Please continue to partner with Sudan Relief Fund to help displaced people during this perilous time. Imagine being caught in the middle of a sudden violent uprising and having to evacuate your family. $55 rescues a life in danger and transports innocent people to a safer place.

Help is needed right now. Can you share $55 to rescue one person? Time is critical. If you can, please reach out today.

A Place to Call Home Takes Shape for St. Bakhita’s Orphans

Thanks to your partnership, the dream of building a safe and stable home for more than 100 orphans is shaping into a reality.

We’re pleased to share that construction is underway on the new St. Bakhita’s Orphanage in Nzara, which will house a group of children who not only lost their families, but had to flee from the orphanage’s previous location when ongoing violence in Tombura Yambio made it too dangerous to stay.

Many of our sponsors have followed the courageous story of Bianca Bii, who for decades has served as the matriarch of St. Bakhita’s Orphanage, and her commitment to protect the children through great peril and risk to herself.

When St. Bakhita’s orphans were evacuated for their safety this past year, the location of Nzara was chosen due to its stability and proximity to educational and healthcare opportunities that will now be readily accessible to the children.

The vision is to provide a stable, long-term home where St. Bakhita’s children can grow up attending school and receiving the invaluable healthcare at nearby St. Therese’s Hospital. The Sudan Relief Fund supported facility is currently the only hospital operating in the entire region and represents a place of hope for thousands of people seeking medical care.

At nearly 80 years of age and previously the primary (sometimes only) caregiver, Sister Bianca will be able to partner with a nearby order of nuns in Nzara to provide additional childcare and support for the daily operations of the orphanage.

The children’s new home will feature two dormitories (boys’ and girls’), a multi-purpose hall for dining and group activities, a new kitchen, and housing for onsite workers. Thanks to you, it will be the first time in a long while Sister Bianca has had her own bedroom, after sleeping in group settings with the children for years.

As shown in the photos, the foundation and framing is completed for the dormitories. Plaster work is underway in the dorms, and the doors and windows are nearly finished.

We’re excited to share continued progress with you on this project of compassion you’re making possible. Thank you for remembering Sister Bianca and the children of St. Bakhita’s Orphanage with your support and prayers. It has sustained them every step of the way. We’re grateful for the very tangible way you’re showing these children that even though they’ve lost so much, they are not forgotten.

Fleeing Sudanese Seek Refuge in Nuba Mountains

Concerns Grow of New Warfront Developing on South Sudan Border

Since violence broke out in April between paramilitary forces and the Sudanese government in the nation’s capital of Khartoum, nearly 180,000 people have fled to the Nuba Mountains, a remote region in the southern part of Sudan, to escape the fighting.

“Most of those arriving are women, young people, and children,” Kojo Shayen Abajo, coordinator of joint civil society organizations, told Radio Dabanga. “They have faced many problems on their way to the Nuba Mountains and are now in dire need of humanitarian and medical aid,” he said. 

Abajo says he is appealing to the UN for urgent intervention, as a large number of Nuban people are still trapped in Khartoum where they are used as human shields. “They need to be evacuated as most of them are very poor, and cannot pay the high transportation tariffs.”

The Nuba people have long suffered persecution at the hand of previous Sudanese governments, none the least during the war for South Sudan’s independence when a brutal regime attempted genocide against them. Sudan Relief Fund partner Dr. Tom Catena, who directs Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains, was targeted with bombings for years. Dr. Tom continues to faithfully serve the people of Nuba to this day, and is still the only surgeon in all of the Nuba Mountains. He frequently sees more than 500 patients in a single day.

Many of those fleeing Sudan’s current fighting are heading for asylum in South Sudan, but are not able to reach the border when they are stopped and detained in the Nuba Mountains. Refugees are being advised it’s not safe to continue on to South Kordofan, which is located along the South Sudan border, due to Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) forces recently mobilizing there.

The move has many concerned that a new additional front may develop in the war – one situated right along the South Sudan border in the South Kordofan area – while reports are spreading of rising civilian casualties there.

As fighting edges nearer to the Nuba Mountains, Mother of Mercy Hospital expects to see an increase in casualties and injuries arriving from the war soon. Sudan Relief Fund remains in close contact with the hospital to ensure victims of war receive the care they deserve. Read more here.

How Many Refugees Can Fragile South Sudan Absorb?

In a country greatly lacking infrastructure and already facing a severe food shortage this year, South Sudan’s borders continue to swell with massive numbers of Sudanese refugees pouring in daily to escape war in the north.

Overcrowded Camps

As of July 4, nearly 150,000 people have crossed points of entry into South Sudan. One in every five was identified as vulnerable, including unaccompanied children, the severely elderly, pregnant mothers, or those in need of medical attention, according to an OCHA report.

Many are identified as malnourished from their journeys, arriving at overcrowded camps with weakened immune systems which make them at risk for disease. Already measles outbreaks are reported and vaccination campaigns are underway in refugee camps, along with training in infection prevention and control.

Woman carrying supplies on her head: At least one in five refugees arrive malnourished, while aid organizations contend with disrupted transportation routes to deliver food relief.

Rainy Season

The onset of rainy season further compounds transportation efforts, both to distribute desperately needed supplies, as well as help refugees continue on to destinations beyond the camps, since many are native South Sudanese who fled to Sudan years earlier during the civil war. With some of the worst road systems in the region, the rains turn what routes there are into layers of mud impassable to most vehicles.

Disrupted Food Supply

The conflict in Sudan also disrupted major food supply routes. Juba and Wau in Central Equatoria and Western Bahr el-Ghazal states are scrambling to serve as new hubs for food distribution to the northern regions of South Sudan, as food prices in the nation continue to skyrocket.

Strain On Water Sources

Between 90,000 – 120,000 liters of water are required every day in Upper Nile State according to a report by OCHA, and 50,000 liters daily at the Renk border camp alone. Food, shelter, and sanitation are considered areas of great urgency, with humanitarian and government partners working to address the burgeoning needs.

Child protection is of growing concern, particularly among separated or orphaned children, to prevent exploitation of children and vulnerable girls. At some entry points, efforts are underway to identify those at greatest risk with wristbands and prioritize their transportation to secure locations, or connect them with caseworkers to pursue reunification with family members.

Youths Escaping Forced Recruitment

Another concerning trend is the arrival of single youths, students, or recent graduates seeking asylum in South Sudan to avoid forcible recruitment into the Sudanese conflict. Many of the incoming Sudanese are from urban areas near the capital, not trained or equipped to survive the agrarian lifestyle more commonly found in South Sudan. 

Little girls in matching dresses sitting on the ground: As numbers in the camps swell far beyond capacity, concerns grow over child safety and exploitation.

Help Needed Immediately

As humanitarian organizations rush to prepare for thousands of additional refugees anticipated to keep arriving, concerns about reaching the tipping point for South Sudan’s strained resources remain an underlying source of apprehension. Continued dependence on outside aid is paramount.

With your help, Sudan Relief Fund is poised to distribute refugee kits to families in need across camps in South Sudan. Refugee kits are inexpensive but invaluable resources that provide the emergency supplies desperate and displaced people of all ages need to survive. If you feel moved to help in this growing humanitarian crisis, please go here today to send help: http://staging.sdnrlf.com/campaigns/displaced-sudanese-overwhelming-south-sudan/.