War-ravaged Magwi County is in dire need of permanent homes for the 100,000 refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) flooding the area. Building materials are in short supply, however, and people are cutting down trees at an alarming rate. Severe deforestation (Sudan has one of the worst deforestation problems in the world) results in soil erosion, declining agricultural productivity, and contributes to climate change worldwide. Blocks are a better choice, but… Read More
Bring Hope to a Destitude Family
Hope Ofiriha hopes to expand our reach and help women and children from South Sudan rebuild their lives in Omdurman. As a pilot project, we are helping a family of six: Ms. Alia, a divorced mother; her four children; and her elderly mother. The family was left destitute after Ms. Alia’s husband divorced her and refused to pay child support. As a divorced woman, she is shunned by her community, and Sudan has no social services to help her and her children… Read More
Build a Classroom for Vulnerable Children
Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005, the remote Onura settlement has seen an influx of returning refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including more than a hundred war orphans and former child soldiers. Thanks to Hope Ofiriha’s generous donors, the two-classroom Onura Primary School opened in the settlement in 2006 to serve 72 students. Since then, the school has grown to more than 350 students (150 girls and 200 boys), forcing some classes… Read More
Reduce Hunger and Women’s Workloads
One of the foods people in South Sudan eat almost every day is a porridge type dish made out of ground maize. Before it can be made, maize kernels have to be cut off cobs and then ground into a smooth powder. In Omilling, women do all this work by hand. For the grinding, they must squat on their knees for hours, hurting their back and joints. This laborious work takes several months to complete after each maize harvest. Sometimes, families go hungry when women’s… Read More
Stop Poverty from Forcing Kids Out of School
Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005, Omilling village has seen an influx of returning refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of them are women and children, and most “families” are single mothers caring for three or more children—their own off-spring, the children of relatives, war orphans, or children separated from their families. Many of these children never step foot in a school, practically guaranteeing a life-long cycle of poverty… Read More
Stop Poverty from Forcing Kids Out of School
Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005, Omilling village has seen an influx of returning refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of them are women and children, and most “families” are single mothers caring for three or more children—their own off-spring, the children of relatives, war orphans, or children separated from their families. Many of these children never step foot in a school, practically guaranteeing a life-long cycle of poverty… Read More
