Covid-19 Hits Sudan Displacement Camps; Return Pressure on the Rise

June 18, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread across the world, and the South Sudan region has been hit particularly hard by the disease. Out of the six UN-protected displacement camps (known as Protection of Civilians sites), two have seen outbreaks of the coronavirus, prompting UN officials to encourage camp residents to return to their homes.

However, these displaced refugees, totaling at approximately 190,000, do not feel safe returning to their war-torn homes due to the threat of violence. In the last month alone, more than 200 people were violently killed in clashes in eastern Jonglei.

Displacement camp residents are now stuck in an unusual struggle: if they stay at the camps, not only do they risk being exposed to the virus, but an attitude of foreign hostility has also gripped the camp and caused many people to look down on the South Sudanese and blame them for the outbreak (even though the first cases were among UN international staff). On the other hand, they can’t return home for fear of violence from raiders, bandits, and other warring forces.

For now, it seems that the UN is doing what it can to mitigate the risk of Covid spread as well as violence in the displacement camps, but only time will tell if their measures prove effective.

South Sudan Seminarians Thank Donors for Generosity

May 8, 2020

Times are tough in South Sudan and the new circumstances surrounding the pandemic leave even more uncertainty for so many of the people in the region. Sudan Relief Fund continues to provide where we can and provide a glimmer of hope to those who benefit through our support. We recently received a letter of thanks from a seminarian at the St. Mary Seminary in Juba, South Sudan. He has extended thanks and gratitude to our donors on behalf of all the seminarians and the sponsored children at the local Comboni Boys Primary School. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, they are able to receive an education and hopefully leave their lives of poverty behind. See an excerpt of the letter below:

I am glad to take this golden chance to thank the Almighty God for giving us South Sudanese people the donors to rescue us from our ignorance and poverty.

I thank the brothers of St. Martin de Porres who have connected us to these donors, and we pray that they should not be discouraged in supporting us or stopping us on the way of education leading to dropout, since most of us have no way to support both in kind.

We also thank Brother James Othembi from St. Martin De Porres congregation for his struggle for us, especially we South Sudanese. May the Lord bless him and bless our donors in South Sudan so that they may continue supporting us in kind with school fees and also basic needs.

God first in our struggle

Your faithful in Christ,

Seminarian Francis Hutof Emphe

Sisters Fight to Reduce Coronavirus Impact in South Sudan

March 27, 2020

As coronavirus continues to spread around the world, medical professionals, scientists, and even people of faith are doing all they can to lessen the impact it has on the community. One group known as the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, has been working diligently to raise awareness of the virus’s impact on economically poorer countries, including South Sudan.

In South Sudan, where diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and cholera run rampant, it is easy for coronavirus to become the next widespread pandemic. Most people have to walk more than half-a-mile in order to access clean water, making proper hand-washing a near impossibility. There is also the case of children sharing beds and classrooms, which can result in sickness spreading much more easily.

The Sisters hope to instill a sense of calm among the community, and they wish to leverage institutional resources for people on the ground as the virus continues to affect the world. With enough people aware, we can help the people of South Sudan from falling victim to yet another fatal disease.

News

Covid-19 Hits Sudan Displacement Camps; Return Pressure on the Rise

South Sudan Seminarians Thank Donors for Generosity

Sisters Fight to Reduce Coronavirus Impact in South Sudan