Santino was serving local communities when more than 10,000 refugees flooded to South Sudan in search of peace.
He witnessed how little humanitarian support was available. People living in makeshift shelters, with violence breaking out between tribes in the refugee camps.
Women were at risk. Children were hungry.
Someone had to act fast.
Global Mission Partners responded to the refugee crises in South Sudan by providing our relief and development partners, like Santino, with the resources to offer emergency assistance.
Santino works with the Laid Foundation of South Sudan (LAFOSS). He usually facilitates peace workshops around Juba and trains local leaders and community members to understand and manage conflict. Recently, he helped implement the Highland Project.
The Project aims to address the pressing issues faced by the communities of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees that have returned to South Sudan and settled in the Highland community, located on the eastern side of the Nile River.
The project focuses on a feeding program. Santino shares, “There is serious hunger in these communities”.
They also provide training in agriculture, livelihoods and peacebuilding. This is so that they can help individuals consider how to sustain themselves longer-term and not rely on emergency response.
Although the cyclone occurred a few years ago, she expressed her pain, “I was able to encourage and give her a ‘lift’ using the Healing the Trauma skills and also with God’s Word.”
Since March 2023, LAFOSS has distributed food packages to more than 4,000 people. Community leaders were involved in identifying the most vulnerable people who needed assistance. Santino said these most vulnerable families were mostly “female-headed families.”
The agriculture training helps the communities transform the land where they live to generate a sustainable income. Santino reports that “their location is close to the river, so the land is suitable for farming.”
Participants are equipped with skills and knowledge to prepare the land for farming, select and sow seeds, plant crops, and protect against pests and diseases. Santino highlights that “this method of livelihood training promotes environmental sustainability.”
Livelihood training has also resulted in the establishment of small tea shops. By providing a teapot, cups, water, and sugar, people can start selling tea to others in the local area. Santino shares that providing different livelihood options “will assist people in supporting their families while in temporary accommodation.”
LAFOSS is experienced in providing community workshops and peace training across South Sudan. It also helps people from different tribes nurture a peaceful culture in the refugee communities by providing three-hour peace workshops.
The workshops included 20 participants at a time, particularly individuals who received food packages. Teachings cover tolerance, equality, justice, mercy, and forgiveness. The training provides basic skills for conflict management, communication, problem-solving, mediation, and reconciliation.
The workshops are inclusive of women and people with disability. Discussions include “how wars affect women in particular and the challenges they face during the ongoing conflict,” Santino described.
Santino also explained that facilitating these workshops within the refugee community will help people “understand the wider causes of their situation and empower them as ambassadors for peace. ”
Previous peace training participants continue to practice what they learned and even teach others! Many people have reported opportunities to influence others – around 80-100 people each!
These participants foster peaceful communities through conversations, counselling, mediation, and engagement in local peace-building activities.
Santino reports that community leaders, religious figures, and government officials have responded positively to the project.
Providing emergency support, livelihoods, and peacebuilding training is a crucial step towards empowering refugee communities in South Sudan to overcome adversity and work towards peaceful communities.
LAFOSS are laying the foundation for a more hopeful and sustainable future for those displaced in South Sudan.