Nutritional Support for Refugees in Juba
(ANS – Juba, South Sudan – September 29, 2021) – The Salesians at the Don Bosco camp in Gumbo (outside Juba) have distributed food rations, personal hygiene products, and other basic necessities to internally displaced persons in the Juba refugee camp. The donations were made possible thanks to the donors from Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, N.Y.
The refugee camp of Juba is run by the Salesians of St. Vincent de
Paul Parish and currently hosts 9,742 people, most of whom are women without
husbands, besides children, the elderly, and orphans. The camp was established
in January 2014, after the outbreak of the civil war in December 2013.
Funding from Salesian Missions helped support 230
vulnerable people in the camp for two months. Those who received food
assistance and other supplies were mostly orphans, widows and widowers,
families with children, people with psychological disorders and depression, and
other fragile groups. Each person received 20 kg of ground flour, 1 kg of salt,
3 liters of cooking oil, and 5 kg of beans each month. They also received soap
and other supplies of personal hygiene.
Food support is important because the prices of cereals and
legumes are at record high levels, up to 400% above the average costs. The drop
in petroleum prices has paralyzed the government's social services sector and had
a negative impact on the population. The humanitarian situation in the country
is expected to worsen in the coming months due to the Covid pandemic, the
invasion of desert locusts, continued inter-community violence, and cattle
raids which, just in states like Jonglei, Unity, and Warrap, have caused the
displacement of over 5,000 people.
“We are truly grateful to our donors, who help us ensure that
the Salesian missionaries who care for the most vulnerable have the food and
supplies they need,” said Fr. Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Because
of the ongoing violence in South Sudan, the internally displaced persons are
among the most vulnerable. They have lost everything, and they turn to the
Salesians for security in this difficult time. The Salesians are there to
provide shelter and all that is needed, to help them fulfill a plan for the
future."
South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan in 2011 but soon
plunged into a civil war that has led to a terrible humanitarian crisis, even
before the pandemic. Responding to the civil war is nothing new for Salesians
in South Sudan, who carry out support programs for the population throughout
the country.
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