South Sudan Emergency Appeal for 600 Refugees

Last week, HHA volunteer Emma Cordell, visited a new location where many of the IDPs we’re supporting through your help are now based due to renewed fighting in South Sudan. She describes below the reality of what the families are living through...

'HHA's South Sudan team, most of whom are refugees themselves, greet us with such warmth and smiles. But I soon realise that behind the warm exterior, the South Sudanese refugees each have harrowing experiences of fleeing the war.

I joined the HHA team on a school visit - to run leadership training and disability advocacy with the teachers. A teacher asked the question “how best can we look after the traumatised children?” On first glance, they looked so upbeat; laughing, singing, dancing and running around. It wasn’t until I overheard 2 boys proclaim, whilst waving a long stick at a group of children, “you cannot cross my border!”. A sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach began to emerge knowing the pain they'd faced crossing borders…these children have seen situations that are too unbearable to dwell on. 15 kids alone in this one school are orphans, we believe most due to the war, a reality too close for comfort. Whilst we're in the school, adult refugees look across the landscape towards South Sudan just kilometres away. Whilst kids sing and dance with us, the sound of shelling and gun fire can be heard across the border as a new wave of fighting threatens a group of IDP camps HHA has been trying to help. Those who hadn't fled into Uganda remained in hiding in the bush.'

Emma was joined by HHA CEO, Carwyn Hill, who was doing a new needs assessment of this area following our recent work. Carwyn shared from Uganda, ‘it has been both an encouragement and a challenge visiting these IDPs again. They remain incredibly grateful of HHA’s support through our Global Giving partnership, a project which has given food security to some of the most vulnerable. Supporting 1,101 individuals, many with disabilities, HIV, TB, leporsy and other challenges, in this context is an important achievement! It was also amazing seeing some of the IDPs in their wheelchairs following our distribution with The Walkabout foundation, thanks to EuroMonitor International. Last December, we helped distribute 290 wheelchairs with these partners, with over 20 going to the IDPs. However, we can’t stop here. On our site visit, the sound of guns could be heard in the distance with IDPs becoming displaced again. At a UNHCR coordination meeting this week which HHA attended, the challenges around food insecurity were again emphasised. An estimated 5.3 million South Sudanese people (48% of the population), are currently facing a food crisis. According to some reports, undernutrition contributes to 45% of all under 5 deaths. Furthermore, this doesn’t only impact South Sudan now, but generations to come. Research shows that stunting caused by malnutrition leads to poor education performance, low adult wages, and lost productivity. It’s why we need to continue to act.’

Please make a donation to support this urgent work today.

Links:

• Read more about HHA's current work in East Africa