Below is the most recent report on our partners and projects in what is, by some indices, the poorest country in the world right now. Our partners in South Sudan continue to face some of the most brutal circumstances on the planet, with lack of access to food, health care and education a normality for so many here. However, the projects you are helping support are changing lives, bringing hope and transforming futures. Thank you for being a part of this.
This July, South Sudan will enter its teenage years and be 13 years old. The flag of South Sudan certainly shows patriotism and aspirations for a better future – the black represents the people of South Sudan, red the blood shed in the struggle for freedom, green the verdant land, and blue the waters of the Nile; the gold star represents the unity of the states making up South Sudan. The desire for unity has never taken root as tribal and political entities struggle for power and influence. As always, good leadership is a key requirement for stability and unity and is needed right across political and civil society in South Sudan. The country is ranked second worst in the world for corruption by Transparency International with only Somalia receiving a worse score, so you can see the problem. Interesting fact – the South Sudanese flag is one of only two national flags with six colours in their primary design – have a think about the other one – it’s also African!
It has been a blessing and even a surprise to have some children graduate from the project. Some of this is through business start-ups and some through the children being taken in by relatives and supported that way. We hope to take on some new children and if you have a friend or relative who would like to sponsor a child do let us know.
On a Saturday the children spend the day at the project, eating, playing and getting help with school work. They have also formed a project choir and when we visited the project last summer and went to church they were so chuffed to be asked up onto the stage to sing. It was a special moment to see them with such a sense of wellbeing and value as they worshipped in front of a packed church. It was good to have a small team visit – it really felt like a highlight for the children and a confirmation of the love and support of the sponsors and donors they have heard about but never seen.
With the key needs of the children being hunger, secure housing and access to school, it is not surprising the major support items at the project are food, support for house rent and school fees. School fees are a huge headache as they are extremely high – part of the reason that UNICEF estimate only 30% of the children in South Sudan go to school. We are looking at the possibility of building our own basic school but land is very very hard to come by because of the cultural system in South Sudan and a very undeveloped land law system.
Going to school is more than just an education, it’s a means of participating in a purposeful life and having a hope for the future. As one of the children said, “Before joining the project I would just wake up in the morning with no plans for the day because I had no opportunity to attend the school as I do now. But now I wake up ready to go to school and I eat at the school every day. The project pays school fees including food as well. I also love the fact I am able to enjoy life with other children with whom I share almost the same background.”
If you sponsor a child in South Sudan and have never written to them, please consider that – it gives them such a boost to receive a letter from their sponsor and makes them feel very special and loved!
