World Relief Celebrates South Sudan’s Ten Year Anniversary of Independence

July 9, 2021

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734

BALTIMORE  – Today, World Relief celebrates the 10th anniversary of South Sudan’s independence. Throughout its first decade of freedom, South Sudan has been on a journey towards unity and prosperity while facing the challenges of civil war, famine, natural disaster and disease. Churches throughout South Sudan have come together to respond to the humanitarian challenges, and progress has been made to feed and educate the children of South Sudan in particular.  World Relief is proud to have partnered with local church communities and USAID, UNOCHA, WFP, UNDP, FAO and UNICEF and other partners in accompanying the people of South Sudan throughout these and many other humanitarian challenges on the road to independence.

“Although South Sudan has been beset by many difficulties over the years, we at World Relief feel called to honor the progress that has been made,” said World Relief president Scott Arbeiter. “Our goal in South Sudan has always been the stability, security and prosperity of the country and its people. We remain committed to working alongside both local communities and other humanitarian organizations in the years to come as we pursue this goal.”

World Relief has operated in the region of South Sudan since 1998, 13 years before South Sudan gained its independence in 2011. World Relief has built its operations with an eye to integrating with and raising up the next generation of South Sudanese community leaders; 97% of World Relief staff are South Sudanese.

World Relief has long provided South Sudan with humanitarian support in the form of disaster response programming, including numerous “Disaster Risk Reduction” activities. World Relief’s COVID-19 response program has reached over 342,000 persons since last year. And In 2020, World Relief welcomed its first female country director to the South Sudan office.

“Today, World Relief is working in the sectors of clinical health, water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH), nutrition, agriculture & food security, community capacity building, child & maternal health, economic development, disaster risk response, peace building & reconciliation and education,” said World Relief South Sudan country director Abiyot Mulugeta. “On the 10 year anniversary of South Sudanese independence, we invite the international World Relief family to pray for continued stabilization, peace and prosperity throughout South Sudan.”

Despite years of progress, 4.5 million children in South Sudan remain in desperate need of assistance, and 8.3 million people need humanitarian support. World Relief has operations and an ongoing humanitarian presence in 3 states: Unity State, Jonglei State, Western Equatoria State, including the Bentiu IDP site that houses roughly 100,000 residents.

“World Relief will continue peacebuilding efforts in South Sudan. Upon this tenth anniversary, World Relief celebrates the progress made on the journey to independence and prays for peace and healing over the nation,” says World Relief president Scott Arbeiter.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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