Caritas Italy providing essential aid to South Sudan

By Kielce Gussie

South Sudan is a country rich in natural resources as it is home to natural gas, gold, aluminum and silver. Yet, according to the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Index, South Sudan and Somalia are the poorest countries in the world. Over the past decade, South Sudan has faced many challenges: frequent flooding, an influx of displaced people, ongoing conflicts and refugees fleeing war in neighboring Sudan.

More than 150,000 people have died and more than 12 million have had to flee their homes in Sudan due to the civil war: it is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. Since the start of violence in 2023, more than half a million people have arrived in South Sudan in search of safety and shelter.

South Sudan has hosted more than half a million Sudanese refugees

Caritas in South Sudan

For years, Caritas has provided much-needed aid and support to communities in South Sudan, including cash assistance, access to clean water, sanitation, safe places for women and girls, and counseling. Additionally, Caritas offers support for agriculture and provides essential aid to local communities recovering from internal violence and more than two years of devastating flooding.

A field mission report

To better assess how to serve local communities, a delegation from Caritas Italy is visiting camps for displaced people and refugees from Sudan from October 28 to November 1. The first event was a meeting in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, with Comboni Bishop Christian Carlassare. of the diocese of Bentiu.

Archbishop Carlassare highlighted the crippling economic crisis facing the country, which directly affects the resources available to give to those in need. He points out that the state is short of funds and that police officers, teachers and the entire public sector have not been paid for months. Nevertheless, there is still hope, underlines the Comboni missionary, because it “is alive in the very communities which represent the true strength of the country and the Church”.

Mgr Christian Carlassare declares: “Hope is alive in the very communities which represent the true strength of the country and the Church”.

Caritas Italy’s mission will end with a trip to Kenya, where it has been offering emergency and development programs for years. Now they are addressing the plight of many people still recovering from the recent floods.

Caritas has been present in South Sudan since it gained independence in 2011.