Since gaining independence, South Sudan has struggled with war and violence. The Civil War has been ongoing since 2013. Parents and children have been torn apart. Hundreds of thousands have been killed. Half the population suffers hunger, because they don’t have the stability to grow food. South Sudan needs a breakthrough.
Breakthrough comes from a brand new approach to overcoming struggles. The key to breakthrough in South Sudan is peace.
Garang is one of the board members of the LAID Foundation of South Sudan (LAFOSS). He grew up in Sudan, during the Second Sudanese Civil War. When he was just a boy, the war came to his village. His family had no choice but to flee their home.
“We walked night and day in the bush,” Garang says. “In the grass, and in the thorny places. I got pierced. My soles now are spottish.”
“I don’t want this mark to be in soles of others.”
This experience is why he is passionate about the LAFOSS Peace Project. By working with community leaders, churches and schools, LAFOSS is helping make breakthroughs in their country.
Earlier in the year, LAFOSS helped establish ‘Peace Clubs’ in local schools. Leaders from each school were trained to resolve differences without any violence. They were able to take these skills back to their schools. They taught peace building to their classmates.
“Before the war we were in different tribes, but now we are not separated,” one of students, Martha, said. “No one was this tribe or that tribe at the workshop. We are not going to do that anymore.”
The attitudes of the next generation are changing through these projects. The young people of South Sudan can break through the division of the past.
Without breakthrough, poverty can’t be overcome. The conflict in South Sudan is the direct cause of poverty for so many people living there. Without breakthrough, there will still be people living without food, water, or stability in their lives.
Churches of Christ Overseas Aid (COCOA) partners with projects all around the world to help enable breakthroughs. But breakthrough looks different for everyone!
Breakthrough for a family in Bangladesh is a safe and hygienic sanitation system.
Breakthrough for a Zimbabwean family is a loan to start a small business, so they can take care of an abandoned child.
And breakthrough for South Sudan is bringing peace projects to more of the country.
You can enable breakthroughs in people’s lives this Christmas! Your gift will empower them to break free of poverty!
Find out more information, and give a breakthrough today, by going to www.gmp.org.au/breakthrough