When refugees can’t find refuge: Is war safer than starvation?
She fled war only to face a new nightmare — severe hunger. But your generosity is helping refugees from Sudan find new hope!
Can you picture living as a refugee, forced to return to the war-torn homeland you just fled for a chance at a meal?
With the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, this is the reality for countless families.
With the devastating civil war in Sudan, millions are fleeing the country to find solace. However, those who have fled south are finding themselves in equally unlivable conditions. South Sudan is facing the highest rates of food scarcity in its history, as well as issues of economic crisis and insecurity, leaving refugees with little resolve.
One compassionate refugee mother, Mabula Bala, was separated from her husband during the war, leaving her to take sole care of their daughters. She mourns the life they must experience and longs to give them something better. With deep concern for her children, she explains, “It is very hard for me. I am really afraid for my daughters because here there’s rape issues, I’m very afraid because of such things,” she continues, “it is very dangerous thing for a lot of kids to stay here in this place.” There is no dignity for these young women. While no longer in a war-ridden land, there are still quiet, fierce battles being fought every day.
Mabula grieves the many challenges she and the other refugees continue to face. In addition to the hot, fruitless land, there is no privacy or security at the refugee camp, and homes are often rummaged through and stolen from. There are many refugees with chronic illnesses or disabilities, and they have nothing and no one to defend them: “They have no place. They have nothing. They are hoping a lot of things.” She recalls the many refugees who have returned to Sudan out of desperation for food, because at least there they have a chance at survival. She wipes a tear when she says, “they do not stay, because you would die from hunger.” With the extreme climate and poor economy, obtaining any food is nearly impossible in South Sudan.
In the worst of times, Tearfund has been able to step in and provide life-changing food assistance for Mabula and the other refugees in the community. She explains that the previous food assistance from other organizations has barely sustained them, but with the support from Tearfund, young people have enough to be able to play sports again and be strong. Enthusiastically, she expresses “I would love to thank Tearfund’s organization for the support that they have been giving to us! That support has made an impact, and it made a change to my life and even on many of those people.” Tearfund has allowed these refugees to not only have enough to eat but to move their focus from survival to other life aspects: “For me, as a mother, I was able to support my kids, to provide other things for them, like clothes.”
Mabula is extremely grateful for the assistance Tearfund has provided for her and her community.
However, help is still desperately needed. With numerous refugee families coming to South Sudan and no rain in sight, refugee families cannot sustain themselves alone. Tearfund works through local churches to provide emergency food assistance, as well as farm training and Gender-Based Violence education to communities to create a lasting, sustainable impact.
Mabula asks, “If there is any chance that you can send this message to those higher commissioners, tell them that young people, these young people, are in need of education and even a little better place. They are seeking a better life.”
Join Tearfund in helping refugees from Sudan like Mabula do more than just survive.