Mursi

August 13, 2020

When he was five years old, Mursi, a boy from Karkarai, Sudan, found an unnatural swelling near his abdomen. This swelling began to grow at an exponential rate, and no medicine could stop it. By the third visit to the local clinic, the nurses recommended transferring him to Mother of Mercy Hospital, run by Dr. Tom Catena.

After conversing with Mursi’s father, who was a volunteer nurse aid at the local dispensary, Dr. Tom decided to conduct a hydrocelectomy to halt the swelling. Thanks to Dr. Tom’s expertise and the wonderful staff at Mother of Mercy Hospital, the surgery was a success, and Mursi now lives a normal, healthier life.

Dr. Tom would never have been able to save lives like that of Mursi without the help of the Sudan Relief Fund’s generous donors.

For more information about Dr. Tom and Mother of Mercy Hospital, click here.

 

Dr. Tom Saves Mother in Dangerous Birth

August 10, 2020

Soma Awad is a 26-year-old woman living Kurungu Abdallah, a small village in South Sudan. Recently, Soma was pregnant with twins and ready to give birth. Unfortunately, there were some complications that almost took her life had it not been for the actions of Dr. Tom and the rest of the helpful staff at Mother of Mercy Hospital.

When Soma felt labor pain, she was rushed to the nearby clinic, where she successfully delivered a baby boy. After four unsuccessful hours trying to deliver the second baby, Soma was referred to the better-equipped Mother of Mercy Hospital, more than seven hours away.

Soma arrived at the hospital at midnight, and Dr. Tom and his team immediately began their work. Sadly the second twin had passed away, but their work continued as their mission was now to save Soma’s life. She recounts how she was tired, weak, and on the brink of unconsciousness by the time she arrived at Mother of Mercy Hospital, and she didn’t think she would survive the night.

Because of Dr. Tom’s incredible commitment and expertise, he was able to save Soma’s life. Now, Soma regularly thanks God for bringing her to Dr. Tom, who gave her a second chance at life and allowed her to be there for her family.

For more information about Dr. Tom and Mother of Mercy Hospital, click here.

Let’s Congratulate South Sudan on Their Independence Day

July 6, 2020

The United States just celebrated its independence, and we’re reminded that we’re not the only country that has fought long and hard for its freedoms. South Sudan is the most recent country to do the same, becoming its own country on July 9, 2011, making it one of the youngest countries in the world.

Before seceding from the North, Sudan had a long history of conflict between the Arab and Muslim-dominated northern region, and the non-Arab, Christian south. A civil war raged across the country from 1983 to 2005, until a signed North/South peace deal granted southerners the right to self-determination votes. This led to an overwhelming vote for the secession of South Sudan in 2011.

Click Here to Watch a Video About the Conflict

While South Sudan’s people are happy to no longer be persecuted for their religious beliefs, they are still in dire need of help. Becoming a new nation without any real infrastructure or support has created many obstacles that need to be overcome. Each day, numerous people go without food, adequate medicine, clean water, and basic hygiene supplies.

For years, we have been doing all we can to help provide this kind of emergency relief for them, while also delivering long-term support through farming training, hospital building, and education. The needs are still crucial, but the good news is that freedom is working. Their nation is rebuilding. We are seeing small pockets of prosperity and hope every day.

We should celebrate with South Sudan since we were once in the same position. Remember, America wasn’t built in a day after July 4, 1776. It took our ancestors years to rebuild and prosper, so we know how difficult it is to be in that situation. We should congratulate South Sudan’s people for seeking and fighting for their freedom, just as our early American ancestors did as well.

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.

Read more here:

https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2020/06/01/South-Sudan-coronavirus-UNMISS-conflict-peace

Bishop Kussala

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.

Read more at:

https://www.globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry/news/sisters-strengthen-efforts-amid-coronavirus-strain

Sudan Declares Christmas a Public Holiday for First Time in a Decade

December 27, 2019

This past Wednesday, millions of people around the world celebrated Christmas. However, this was the first time in 10 years that the country of Sudan recognized Christmas as a public holiday, which is seen as a major step toward realizing religious equality and freedom in the region.

For the past three decades, the Islamist regime of Omar al-Bashir ruled over Sudan, instilling a secular and unaccommodating religious environment. With the recent military coup and formation of a transitional government, Bashir’s hold over the country has ended and Sudan’s current civilian prime minster has made it their mission to instill a new regime of welcoming and respecting of other religions.

While Christians make up a minority of the citizens living in Sudan, mostly in Khartoum and the Nuba Mountains, the nation has officially recognized Christmas as a public holiday, allowing these oppressed followers to celebrate their religion openly and without discrimination.

Many pro-democracy activists see this as a massive step in the right direction, and hope that this will pave the way for more improvements in the coming months as Sudan continues to rebuild itself in the wake of a violent civil war.

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How You've Helped

Schools

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Providing for the Vulnerable in Rumbek

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Building Hope

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Clean Water

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