Lost people of Sudan coming home

Sudan's southern civil war displaced approximately 3.8 million people, according to United Nations estimates. Two million of them are displaced in southern Sudan, while 1.8 million eke out a living in settlements for the internally displaced.

Hunger in Sudan

Large numbers of Dinka are returning empty-handed to one of the most food-insecure areas of southern Sudan, just before the beginning of the hunger season.

"You came with nothing, so you'll leave with nothing," one Dinka returnee quoted armed Darfurian men as saying when they prevented the returnees from taking home their animals and other belongings.

Water and health

The recurrent high malnutrition rates among young children in Southern Sudan are not simply a result of the lack of food, however.

The lack of access to clean water and the absence of primary healthcare are the main reasons for the high malnutrition rates. "Fifty percent of children are sick because of the bad quality of the water and have diarrhea, it takes parents two or three days to reach a clinic and the children are dehydrated when they get here and quickly become malnourished.

A survey carried out by Concern in February showed that 58 percent of the households were using shallow wells or water from riverbanks, while only 42 percent used protected wells. More than 95 percent did not have access to a pit latrines.

Not welcome

Although many host communities receive returning Dinkas with open arms, there are others that do not. Many regions suffered greatly during the war and famine, and fighting has displaced large parts of the community for decades, disrupting the social structure. As a result, the Dinkas do not always find their relatives when they return to their villages, and host communities are not necessarily inclined to share their dwindling resources with returnees they do not recognize.

Cash contributions needed: Help pay for the shipments of school supplies to the Sudan

4 The World is now accumulating books, computers and school supplies for our shipment. We need to receive funds to pay for this shipment and additional shipments in the coming years. Each shipment costs about $6,500 – our fund raising goal for 2007.

Please help us reach our goal!

Every dollar you contribute will pay for delivery of two desperately needed books. With a donation of $150, you will be sending 200 books to eager readers; a donation of $100 will send a computer; and $50 will send a monitor.

We assure you that every dollar you contribute will go to pay for the cost of getting supplies to Sudan. 4 The World has no paid staff; all work is done by volunteers, both here in the United States and in the Sudan. Space, equipment, and facilities used by 4 The World is donated as well.

Your contribution is tax deductible.
Thank you for your contribution.
Robert Keith Froom, Executive Director
4 The World Sudan
P.O. Box 426
Gardena, CA 90248
USA

Thanks to the generosity of the 4 The World community, we are creating the project budget to enable us to help a great number of refugees.

Situation Demands our Attention

For the past 18 months, Sudan has been wracked by what the United Nations has called “the world's worst humanitarian crisis.” Extreme violence has left thousands of people dead, and displaced an additional 1.2 million, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children living in crowded refugee camps where they are exhausted, sick—and still fearing for their lives.

The conflict, centralized in Darfur in western Sudan, was sparked when Sudanese rebels attacked government property. In response, militias have been terrorizing communities of largely non-Arab African farmers, committing unimaginable violent acts, including systematic rapes of women and torching entire villages.

Children have been the most vulnerable to the ongoing violence, many having lost one or both parents. As they await an end to the hostility, ensuring regular schooling for thousands of Sudanese children will give them the only hope they have for a better life. School gives a sense of normalcy and respite in an otherwise chaotic and uncertain world.

4 The World is preparing to bring much-needed resources to refugees in Sudan. In addition to food, water, medicine and shelter, we are also developing 4 The World School Kits, which contain supplies and materials for a teacher and up to 50 students for a temporary school classroom setting.