August - September 2017

JRS MABAN NEWSLETTER 7 | August - September 2017

Security Updates
A land dispute arose on
August 17th when the
Mabanese community en-
gaged with the County
Commissioner forces after
the newly appointed Adar
County Commissioner ad-
dressed to that location to
hoist the flag of the new
County.
Following those clashes,
mobilization amongst the
youth in Maban and Melut
took place and fighting
between the factions re- Photograph by Albert Gonzlez Farran - AFP
sumed the following days.
Some members of our
A double blessing takes psychosocial
staff were evacuated as a activities to greater heights
preventive measure while
our teams on the ground After a storm it is said comes a calm. This is true with the situation in
took the due precautions, Doro refugee camp for the 3rd quarter of JRS operation in Maban
keeping communications County for the year 2017. After a series of instability due to conflicts
available and limiting our between the refugee community and the host community and later
movements.
infightings between the refugees themselves, Doro camp experienced
Another source of security a sigh of relief for the months of July, August and September.
concern is the ongoing
conflict in Blue Nile, with The conflicts and infightings which resemble storm interrupted our
constant clashes between psychosocial operations indeed. However the uninterrupted stability
the SPLA-N factions, espe- together with BPRM funding for JRS psychosocial activities in Doro
cially while occurring close camp are the ones the psychosocial team describes as double
to the border of Upper blessing. This calmness after a storm has witnessed growth of the
Nile and Blue Nile-Sudan team both in number and activities. With intensified youth and sports
or even inside the South
recreational activities, superb counselling trainings, adorable youth
Sudanese territory of Up-
trainings and workshops and inclusive day care activities for children
per Nile in our Maban
County. with disability. JRS Doro Centre is now a hoard of various psychoso-
Mara C. Jimnez,
cial activities. Moffat Mpweya-Phiri, Psychosocial Coordinator
Acting Project Director

Jesuit Refugee Service - Maban - South Sudan - Newsletter 7 - August - September 2017 1
Our Staff: English courses for ladies
Dorothy Agoe More than 150 women were admitted into the English Literacy
courses oered at Arrupe Learning Centre in Maban County in
the 2017 second intake which started in August.
Out of these, there was one women-only class. The class, for
Absolute Beginners, caters for women who have little or have
had no contact with the English Language. This was the first
time that the English Course had a female only class.

Coming from a catholic based fami-

ly my dream was always to work in a
catholic faith Organization and
through the power of Google is why
am in Jesuit Refugee Service be-
cause of its nature of work being
close to the refugees. As I trust in
Mathew, whatever you ask in prayer We are happy to say that this boosted the percentage of
you will receive if you have faith. women attending our courses. 33% of participants in the Eng-
At the moment I am working in JRS lish Course are women. This translates to 163 women out of a
as psychosocial assistant coordina- total of 496 students.
tor where I am involved working
Women partici-
closely with persons of disabilities,
pation has been
day care for the disabled children,
a big concern
conducting basic counseling skills
trainings, referral to other organiza-
not only for JRS
tions and material support to the but also other
vulnerable as well as supervising agencies as a
the community based rehabilitation whole.
workers.
P l a n s a r e u n-
The most interesting aspect about der way to en-
my work is seeing the disabled sure that more
children walk after their daily physi-
women partici-
cal exercises.
pate in all cour-
Dorothy Agoe ses in the Education Program.
Assistant Psychosocial Coordinator Nyamweya Omari, Education Coordinator

Jesuit Refugee Service - Maban - South Sudan - Newsletter 7 - August - September 2017 2
Celebration of St. Ignatius day

Followers of St. Ignatius are called to be men and women for others. Ignatian Spirituality encourages
us to be connected in community, sharing of our gifts and serving others. As we serve, we start to walk
in the shoes of others, and we grow in compassion.
Ignatian Spirituality also helps us to come into relationship with God. It helps us make good decisions. It
encourages gratitude and optimism and it helps us make the world a better place.
Last August, JRS sta in Maban celebrated St.Ignatius Day as we shared the ways we were touched by St.
Ignatius life and the spiritual outlook that bears his name.
God can be found in all things. Lets keep our hearts open!
A. Sanchez, Pastoral coordinator

Floods in Maban
The State Ministry of Health acknowledged that recurrent flooding has caused some deaths and injuries
and has deeply affected the daily lives of over 650 households in eight villages of our Maban County.
The risk of water-borne disease in the
wake of the floods is real. A cholera
epidemic has already affected thou-
sands of people and agencies are
trying to act very fast to avoid the
spread diseases such as malaria.
The floods have also destroyed
roads, schools, homes, crops and
vegetables all over the affected ar-
eas. This means the situation will get
worse, with more people needing
temporary housing and urgent hu-
manitarian help.
Thank you very much for your prayers
and support.

Mara C. Jimnez, Acting Project Director

Jesuit Refugee Service - Maban - South Sudan - Newsletter 7 - August - September 2017 3
Workshop for young girls at Arrupe Learning Center

Wars, conflicts and natural disasters spare no chil-
dren. In fact, children and youth suer the most.
For children and youth in emergencies, education
is lifesaving. Schools give them stability and struc-
ture to help cope with the trauma they have expe-
rienced. Schools can protect them from the physi-
cal dangers around them, including abuse, ex-
ploitation and recruitment into armed groups.
However, girls in conflict-aected settings are2.5
times more likely to be out of school than boys.
This month we had a workshop specifically for
young girls at the Arrupe Learning Center.
We know that improving girls' educational levels
has been demonstrated to have clear impacts on
the health and economic future of young
women, which in turn improves the prospects of
their entire community.
We are very happy to contribute to this change.
Mara C. Jimnez, Acting Project Director

Blackboard
This September a joint delegation of the Minister of Education and the University of Juba visited our
Teacher Training College at the Arrupe Learning Center.
Our colleague Gregory St.Arnold, Regional Education Coordinator, based in Nairobi, visited our activi-
ties and helped us plan and improve next years intervention.
A successful meeting was held in Juba with a delegation of the USA Bureau of Population, Refugees
and Migration (BPRM) that is funding an important part of our Psychosocial activities.
Our Education Coordinator Nyamweya Omari visited Solidarity Teacher Training College in Yambio to
set synergies and bonds of collaboration with our friends of the NGO Solidarity with South Sudan.
Our Psychosocial team welcomed 19 newly recruited home visitors and sport mobilizers to expand JRS
activities among the refugee and the host community.

Jesuit Refugee Service - Maban - South Sudan - Newsletter 7 - August - September 2017 4