By Todd Hardesty | Executive Director
For most of the world, the war in Sudan is just another distant conflict. But for us, an NGO working in the northern part of South Sudan, it throws an already fragile humanitarian situation into crisis mode. People who fled from here to escape the floods and tribal conflict are coming home to villages poorly equipped to help.
Fighting broke out in Sudan in April, with two rival military factions competing for power. Over three million people are displaced. In the case of Southern Sudanese citizens, the escape from war is bringing thousands of refugees back to villages that are already taxed to the limit. Current estimates are that 250,000 people have fled across Sudan's borders.
Near our compound in Old Fangak, boats arrive daily with exhausted returnees carrying all their possessions in suitcases. They will need to find food, water, and shelter. The stories of their flight are heartbreaking. Onboard a recent transport boat, carrying refugees from on the Nile River from Renk, South Sudan to Malakal, 26 people died from starvation—19 children and 7 adults.
In our village of Old Fangak, we meet weekly with all the NGO groups to assess the situation and coordinate our response. The current total of returnees in Old Fangak is 3,590. Two hours down river at the village of New Fangak there are another 10,000 refugees. Nearby Paguir has 5,000. As we review the reports from all the villages in our service area the number is over 31,000 returnees and growing. Seventy-five percent are women and children.
The clean drinking water that donors support with this project is essential to the emergency response. Our well drilling teams are moving through the region to assess the needs. We are repairing the nonfunctioning wells we come across. In June we drilled a well in the New Fangak area that is providing clean drinking water to many refugees. In addition, our agriculture team is distributing seeds that returnees can use to start small gardens.
Thank you for your part in helping. We had not anticipated this level of need. We are grateful that through thoughtful giving we can respond in ways that are saving lives. With your support we can and will do even more. We would like to drill more wells, and improve others, so that returnees have the clean drinking water they urgently need. Gifts to this project connect a “distant conflict” to donors directly. The people being served have a better chance to survive a crisis they had no part in creating but has now sent them into our hands for the help they now need. Thank you again.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
