South Sudan
Number of people served in 2020: 19,936
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has been working in Sudan and Southern Sudan since 1997 in the area of education, pastoral care, peacebuilding, and reconciliation.
As peace dawned in Sudan in 2005, JRS adapted its work to respond to the changing circumstances supporting refugee return from neighboring countries. After a vote for independence in 2011, the new State of South Sudan was established. JRS ceased operations under its mandate. After the civil war broke out in 2013, operations were restarted.
Currently, JRS South Sudan operates large integrated programs of work in Maban County of Upper Nile and Yambio County in Western Equatoria focused on providing education and psycho-social and pastoral support to refugees, IDPs, returnees, and host community in an ever more conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive manner.
Our Work in South Sudan
JRS South Sudan is currently present in Maban (northern South Sudan) and Yambio (southern South Sudan). In addition to working with refugees coming from neighboring countries, due to the recent conflict in the country, a big amount of the beneficiaries served by JRS in South Sudan are Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who had to re-settle running from violence and insecurity.
JRS, South Sudan offers a different kinds of services to accompany refugees and IDPs in both locations.
In Maban, JRS provides a variety of programs such as training for teachers, school materials, a daycare for disabled children, home visits, counseling, and emergency assistance. JRS Maban also coordinates social centers for refugee women while providing them opportunities to learn tailoring, life skills, and gain psychosocial support.
In Yambio, JRS provides education scholarships to girls attending secondary school, sanitary kits to young women attending school, and teacher training scholarships to assist with diplomas and education degrees. JRS also provides a community and school-based peace-building initiative that uses mediation and workshops for encouraging reconciliation rather than violence.
We hope one day our work will no longer be needed. But until then, lets pray for JRS SS to keep with its so necessary duty as long as it is required.