Solidarity with South Sudan: the situation has deteriorated and
more can be done
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| Displaced persons wait in line to receive essentials from an emergency shelter (AFP) |
The Association, "Solidarity with South Sudan", a
collaborative commitment of religious institutes offering aid, in many forms,
to the world's youngest nation, has just concluded its General Assembly in Rome
By Francesca Merlo
Claretian Fr Paul Smyth is the President of 'Solidarity with
South Sudan'. Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Seán-Patrick Lovett, he explains that
the organisation “was established little over ten years ago”. Fr Paul explains
that after the civil war ended, the Bishops’ conference was looking for
religious to support them “in rebuilding the church, and really, in rebuilding
the nation”.
Fr Paul Smyth, President of 'Solidarity with South Sudan'
Collaboration
He says that some representatives from different
congregations in Rome travelled to Sudan. There, they recognised that “one
congregation alone" would not be able to commit themselves to help, but
that through collaboration and working together “something could be done”.
Fr Paul says that over the years around 400 congregations
have been involved in different ways. “Some through funding, some through
sending personnel”. We all committed to establishing programmes and projects
that would “help build a capacity in the people”, he adds.
An estimated 420,000 people displaced from their homes in recent
natural disasters.
The programmes and projects
A teacher training institute was built and “commitment was
made to develop a health training institute for nurses and midwives”. An
agricultural project was established because the civil war, “which went on for
so long”, caused so much displacement that “people had lost the basic skills
for tending land”.
“The other area we did a lot of work with”, continues Fr
Paul, was pastoral, “because of the need for trauma healing and helping people
deal with all the consequences of previous situations they had been in, in
Sudan”.
A photo from 2017 shows some of the 1000 women in silent protest to
express the suffering of women and children. The theme was "End the
war?"
A memory
As President of the Organisation, Fr Paul travels to the
country often, but one of the strongest memories that stays with him and
motivates him dates back to his very first visit in 2011, shortly after the
referendum for the independence of South Sudan.
“We were just at the point of being able to open the
institute that had been built in Malakal – which was a teacher training
institute – and I was there the first day the students were arriving. I
remember one woman in particular. A Muslim woman. She was wandering around with
her eyes wide open, saying to herself ‘you’ve done this for us, you’ve done
this for us’. It was that sense that she was just so surprised that anyone
would do something like this for them, and the amazement in her that really
touched me. It made me realise just how much need there is there, in so many
different areas.”
Internally displaced
persons take part in a traditional ceremony at a protection of civilian site in
Malakal. Around 30,000 displaced people inhabit the camp.
Internally displaced persons take part in a traditional ceremony at a
protection of civilian site in Malakal. Around 30,000 displaced people inhabit
the camp.
A potential visit
The Holy Father has mentioned several times that he would
like to visit South Sudan. Fr Paul says that one of the main beneifts this
visit would bring is that it would “once again bring the world’s attention to
South Sudan”. He recalls that a few years ago South Sudan was in the media, but
that it unfortunately quickly became old news “even though the situation hasn’t
really improved” – in fact, he adds “it has probably deteriorated”.
Hope for a solution
Although the Pope visting would put more pressure on finding
a solution to what “has lasted far too long”, just his expressing his desire to
“does bring it to attention” and hopefully, concludes Fr Paul, “more can be
done to resolve this situation”.
Solidarity with South Sudan's General Assembly
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