The church in Terekeka is so small that Holy Mass is celebrated in a shed.
Displaced persons from the civil war in a large refugee camp in Juba Province.
After two civil wars, South Sudan only gained its independence from Sudan in 2011. The war lasted almost 35 years and claimed millions of lives. However, just two years after independence, a new civil war broke out in the country, primarily caused by tribal conflicts. The results are devastating: 450,000 people lost their lives, 13,000 children were ex- ploited as child soldiers and 4.5 million people were forced to flee. These figures represent around one-third of the population of 13.6 million. Although the refugees are gradually returning home, they have hardly any prospects for the future. There are almost no schools, clinics or staff. In this struggling country, the Church is the most important point of contact for the suffering population. However, the priests and religious sisters there are often exhausted from the many years of war. This makes the aid we provide to strengthen the local Church even more urgently required. We support the train- ing of priests and focus on long-term
family pastoral care, so that families who have been displaced for years and have struggled to rebuild can look to the future with greater hope. We also assist with reconstruction, as many places of worship were destroyed during the war, forcing the faithful to gather under trees in numerous locations.
Bishop Stephen Nyodho Ador Majwok of Malakal on his way to remote communities.
» If we focus on
this country now, many things can change for the better. « Kinga von Schierstaedt, Head of Projects Africa at ACN
ACN Activity Report 2024 | 55 Africa – South Sudan |
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