Heartbreak and Hope: South Sudan

Fola Komolafe, CEO of World Vision UK, speaks to Dr Mesfin Loha, Country Director for World Vision in South Sudan, from Juba. 

They discuss life for children and families in one of the world’s most fragile contexts, including the impact of displacement, access to basic services such as health and education, and the realities facing women and girls, particularly the extremely high rates of gender based violence.

Earlier this year, Fola visited South Sudan, meeting families and communities navigating extremely challenging conditions in Renk Transit Centre. 

With around 70% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance, and over a million people crossing the border for refuge due to the conflict in neighbouring Sudan, the pressure on already stretched services is immense. 

Working alongside communities, local partners and frontline teams, World Vision is supporting families with access to clean water, healthcare, nutrition and education, helping to create moments of hope and stability even in the most difficult circumstances.

Presented by Fola Komolafe

Executive Producers: Louise Amodio and Claire Ziwa 

Discover more:

Website: https://www.worldvision.org.uk/
LinkedIn: World Vision UK
TikTok: @WorldVisionUK
Instagram: @WorldVisionUK
Facebook: @WorldVisionUK

Transcript

Voice Over 0:00

You're listening to World Vision Voices. Real stories, real perspectives, real impact. From the communities where we work have real people.

Fola Komolafe 0:13

Hello and welcome to World Vision Voices. I'm Fola Komolafe, CEO of World Vision UK, and in this podcast, we bring you closer to the real stories behind our work and the strengths we see every day in communities around the world. Today, we're focusing on South Sudan, where 70% of the population are in need of humanitarian aid. Earlier this year, I spent time there meeting families and seeing first-hand both the challenges and incredible resilience of the people living there. When you think about what children need to thrive, what comes to mind? Because what I saw was this. I saw parents doing everything they can to protect their children. I saw communities trying their best to support one another. And I saw children playing who, despite everything, still carry hope for their future. However, there are also real challenges. The ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan has forced many families to cross the border in search of safety, placing pressure on communities already under strain. But there's also progress. Our work that is making a difference. The work of the international community, and you see moments of hope during the time I was there that have also stayed with me. So joining me now from Juba is someone who leads this work every day. Dr. Mesfin Loha has been with World Vision for over 25 years and is currently a country director in South Sudan. Mesfin, it's so good to have you with us. So you're welcome. So you've been country director of South Sudan for eight and a half years. So tell us a little bit about South Sudan.

Mesfin Loha 2:13

Thank you very much, Fola. Such an opportunity to speak with you again after a few months of your visit to South Sudan. Very memorable times. And um we saw the passion you have uh for children and women and the needy. That was a highlight of uh the year for our team in South Sudan. A place where I see families try to stay resilient, try to keep the hope on, but it is also a situation that is generally, I would say, for the majority of South Sudanese, one of uncertainty.

Fola Komolafe 2:57

So it was incredibly hot, it was dry, it was dusty. I think the temperature was almost in the 40s, if I can remember. Is it still the same or has it changed a little bit?

Mesfin Loha 3:12

We are getting into the rainy season, so it there will be a little bit of uh reduction, but right now it's about 37 degrees and it's still dry and uh dusty living conditions in the transit centre the border areas we all visited uh remain uh the same, maybe with a little bit more problems now with the rains because it comes with flooding and uh waterborne diseases that come with the weather.

Fola Komolafe 3:39

So I've been talking about South Sudan since I came back, and one of the things I say to people about South Sudan is uh I've travelled to quite a number of places, but South Sudan broke my heart. And it broke my heart because of the children and what I saw and what I experienced. So whilst yes, they were full of hope and joy and children playing around, there were also severe cases of malnutrition. For example, there were challenges around education. So I guess the question I want to ask is how do you see the longer-term prospects for children in South Sudan?

Mesfin Loha 4:22

Without any significant investment in improving basic services and especially in health and education, the prospect is that of shaky, I would characterize as such. But we've also seen some progress, especially in urban areas. There are some more schools where children could go to, but as we speak, there are over 2 million children who are not in a school, who must be in a school, but they are out of it. But the most affected are those in the refugee settings, in those who are displaced, and they are constantly also displaced either by the flooding or by conflict. The services are not able to reach all of them. Service providers, the civil servants who are not properly compensated, who have not been paid their salaries for months after months, with a really very low level of motivation, even the limited uh available services are not provided well. So that is a big problem. Children's survival and making it in life depends on these basic services they need in their childhood.

Fola Komolafe 5:38

Obviously, South Sudan is a close neighbour of Sudan. And this year we see the conflict in Sudan reaching a three-year sort of mark. And we know that over 33 million Sudanese need humanitarian assistance. And I think when I was there, we were talking about how 1.3 million of them have crossed over into South Sudan, both refugees and returnees. So, what impact has this had on the work of World Vision in South Sudan?

Mesfin Loha 6:13

I was in Renk area in in May of uh 2023, just one month after the conflict erupted, and since then it is non-stop. As you mentioned, over 1.3 million people have crossed into South Sudan, although about 80% of them are South Sudanese who return, but significant number of refugees, and according to uh UNACR and IOM, this number will increase to close to 2 million by the end of this year. What this has resulted is wreaking havoc in the already weak services in the country, especially uh health services, uh availability of food. It significantly increased our focus and also uh programming in the border areas, uh rank area that you visited in February, and also on the other side in Bahr el Ghazal state, where we have uh ongoing programming for refugees and uh uh returnees. Most of them come with nothing, whether they are South Sudanese who have been there for a long time and came back, or the refugees they come with whatever they have on their bodies and nothing else. Starting afresh with everything. How is rank? And rank as um the transit centre is now uh beyond the capacity, it was already overcrowded by over 50%, 60%. So there is a new site in Abu Quta now where over 12,000 return refugees have already settled. So it is increasing with the population, but also despite this increasing needs, uh, some of the programs are um on phasing out, and the prospect of significant additional resources is not there. I would say a really difficult situation. There were some reports of um you know deteriorating nutritional situation in the transit centre and also in the uh neighbouring areas. The main gap right now is uh uh nutritional supplies and uh health services.

Fola Komolafe 8:25

So, for the sake of those listening, because before I came to South Sudan, I didn't really understand what a transit centre was. Do you want to just describe when because we've been talking about the transit centre? For someone who has never seen one, can you just describe what is a transit centre and what it feels like and looks like?

Mesfin Loha 8:48

Transit centre in under normal circumstances is a temporary shelter for refugees or anybody getting uh you know across border, where they will be uh processed, you know, document identification, verification, and then they will be transported forward towards designated refugee settlement, refugee centre, or if they are national, they will be sent to their areas of origin. So that's the concept. Since the last three years, it has basically served as a refugee settlement. For now, the government of South Sudan doesn't want to designate any additional refugee camps. Rank remains transit centre, but in name only, because it is right now, it's like a refugee settlement, I would say.

Fola Komolafe 9:42

So when I was at the transit centre, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with some of the women, you know, who reside there. And it was a really good conversation because it was just me and the woman in a room, no men. So it was a very honest conversation. And there were women who had escaped Sudan, women who had made it into South Sudan, who had crossed the border. And we had a conversation about sexual violence. And the thing that shocked me in that conversation was when I asked the question, how many of them had experienced, you know, sexual violence or gender-based violence of any form, either in the camp, on their way to the camp, you know, on their journeys. At least 80% of the women in the room said they had experienced it in some way or the other. You know, um, and of course, we know there's a stigma attached to reporting. We know people don't want to be identified or the fear of being excluded. You know, there are lots of reasons why some of those numbers are not always captured in that way. So the question I want to ask you is what is life like right now for women and girls, both in a transit centre or a refugee camp or a transitionary camp, like you've described it, but also in South Sudan more broadly. Are there any stories you can tell that would help people to really get a sense of what it's like being a woman or a girl, having experienced something or not experienced something, living under that fear of something could happen in South Sudan?

Mesfin Loha 11:40

In fact, in in some of the surveys we ourselves, as World Vision conducted, it could even be higher than 80%, especially during their movement from their locations, because many had the family separated. Most of them may not have their husbands or you know their boys with them because they have been separated. So the level of abuse and uh sexual gender-based violence they been into is is horrible. But what I see is they have some level of protection now when they are in such settings in a settlement or in a transit centre because there are systems in place, they have women's groups, they have committees, they have uh mother-to-mother support groups. There are also programs that provide women and girls friendly spaces. How I describe the situation of girls and women in this context is uh it could be due to war or many other things, but it is a hidden protection crisis for that is seriously, seriously affecting uh uh women and girls. We don't get to know the real magnitude of the problem, even if you know it is reported the rule of law and um you know legal redress mechanisms are not there. Services for them, you know, medical uh uh psychosocial support are very, very limited. There is a growing appreciation of really numerous challenges women and and girls face in South Sudan. I see a little more attention uh to the needs uh with programs to prevent uh sexual and uh gender-based violence. Many programs, not just limited to awareness raising, but focused services so that the risk is minimized. You know, any water supply system, you know, we provide closer to where they live, reduces the risk of getting abused. A clinic nearby reduces the risk but also facilitates access to services. So we are approaching it both from the prevention but also support uh point of view.

Fola Komolafe 14:04

So when I was in South Sudan, I met Rukia, a young lady who I think had come from across the border. Absolutely lovely lady. She was one of the women I spoke to, and I know she was going to give birth to a baby not too long after then. So three weeks ago, thereabout, we know that she gave birth to a lovely, beautiful baby girl called Muna. And it's just such an amazing story for me of hope in sometimes what could be a rather difficult set of circumstances, but also recognition that the young girl is also born into quite a difficult sort of circumstances that she will need to navigate in a while, you know, um, during her own lifetime. And our mission is fullness of life. You know, it's it's ensuring that every every child, every family, every community is able to experience fullness of life.

Mesfin Loha 15:01

At World Vision, change starts with children.

Voice Over 15:05

We listen to their voices and work with families and communities to bring clean water, healthcare, and education in many of the world's most fragile places.

Fola Komolafe 15:21

Uh from your time as as country director that you would like to share.

Mesfin Loha 15:25

A lady, a young woman I met again, uh returning from uh Sudan. Her name is Abuk. She came with um six of her children. She didn't know where her husband was. I met her at um an airstrip where she was brought in from rank with support from IOM. She had nowhere to go. I mean, she was told that her village is somewhere nearby, but she was born in in Sudan. She doesn't know her uh relatives, she was just told that you know your husband's relatives are in so in so village, and you can find them. That's how she came. We supported her, we we helped her with the transportation to go to her village, and after they met and and settled, we brought her into our um women's groups, the kitchen garden, the vegetable garden, and the mother support groups in the Helm's facility nearby where she was settled. I saw her again after three months or so and and she told me maybe it is for this reason that God brought me here. I didn't know this place existed, I just knew the name. But now I have more friends and I have hope. I have hope for the six children. They were um admitted to a near bar nearby primary school. How she took it as a this is a new beginning, I will take it. It's a new beginning. A reason God has brought me here. Maybe it's to hear, you know, his his word and uh and fellowship with the friend. These are very distant relatives, I don't know, but how she was really encouraged by the solidarity that she found amongst the groups for me was really, really impressive. But to see her her courage and and hope was really, really moving.

Fola Komolafe 17:36

No, thanks for sharing that. I think it's important that as we think about the challenges of our times, we're also inspired that there can be hope in some of these most difficult situations. So I guess talking about challenges a little bit more, what are some of the main challenges for you as a leader working in South Sudan?

Mesfin Loha 18:02

The bureaucratic impediments that we face, the infrastructure problems that we have, the cost of doing business in South Sudan is really, really high. Whatever you need for your programming, you have to get it from somewhere. Nothing you find here. And I say uh country directors in in South Sudan wear many, many hearts. I have to be the spokesperson, I have to be the humanitarian diplomat, meeting with the ambassadors and the donors and UN representatives. I am the incident manager, also the fundraiser. I have to oversee operations and other other roles. So I would say the main challenge for me is dealing with this operational uh complexity.

Fola Komolafe 18:55

How do you keep the staff motivated and engaged?

Mesfin Loha 18:58

We make sure that staff are regularly trained and oriented on situational awareness, conflict management. We make sure that our staff get counselling, uh psychosocial support. We have peer support groups, you know, case by case, also, where they can speak to each other, but also as a as a group.

Fola Komolafe 19:21

As we come to the end of our time together, do you want to share a favorite Bible verse or a worship song that is just resonating with you at the moment?

Mesfin Loha 19:33

I was singing like two days ago, uh, this song Um Uh You You Raise Me Up. You raise me up to more than I can be. From time to time, these songs come to my mind. It's by Josh Croban, I think. I I sing it because I believe God helped me to be more than I can be all the days of my life, and he will continue to do that, to take me to more than I can be. Because I am strong when I'm on your shoulders, on his shoulders, I know I am strong. So I've been singing them. My son, one of my sons, also likes this one, and uh he was asking me dad when was the last time you you you sang this, because we also sing it together. So I like that one.

Fola Komolafe 20:25

I like that too. I really, really do. Is there any other message you want to give our listeners about your work or about South Sudan that we haven't yet covered?

Mesfin Loha 20:36

I think it would be for uh more um prayers, prayer for peace, prayers for progress, and prayers for change in the positive direction for uh for South Sudan. And also uh Thanksgiving. I know some of your listeners might be very dedicated supporters of World Vision, uh, World Visions rich in difficult places like uh uh rank or uh or other countries is is made possible through uh their generosity and uh also prayers for me and our teams to be the wise stewards of these resources bestowed on us so that we serve more people in a way that brings glory to him and also many more uh blessings to the people, uh the children and the women, especially the women and girls who suffer the most in South Sudan, to get some hope that there is a God who listens to prayers, who listens to our cries, and sends people to help us to journey with us in this difficult uh situation, that hope emerges again and again and every day.

Fola Komolafe 21:55

Thank you so much, Mesvin, for joining me today. Thank you for sharing. These stories and for helping us to see the strength and determination behind them. As you've been listening, perhaps there's one story or one moment that has stayed with you. At World Vision, we're committed to walking alongside children and families, supporting them to build a better future for themselves and also for their communities. If you'd like to find out more about our work in South Sudan, you can visit the World Vision UK website. And if you'd like to hear more conversations like this, please follow World Vision Voices so you're notified when new episodes are released. Thank you so much for listening.

Voice Over 22:46

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