We are currently doing work in East Africa, specifically northern Uganda and South Sudan. We are addressing the orphan epidemic following decades of war and terrorism, as well as the food crisis caused by conflict, flooding, and poor infrastructure.

South Sudan won its independence and became a nation on July 9th, 2011 after decades of fighting with the government of Sudan, as well as constant devastation from the Ugandan terrorist organization, The Lord’s Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony. It is estimated his rebel group alone killed over 100,000 people and abducted over 30,000 children. Many of these children were forced to kill their own families and turned into child soldiers and sex slaves. They plagued the region with horror from roughly 1987-2012, committing wide spread murder, abduction, rape, torture, and mutilation.

Joseph Kony

Not long after South Sudan won its independence, a civil war broke out in 2013 which lasted until 2019. It is estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 people were killed in the fighting between the country’s two main ethnic groups; the Dinka and the Nuer. In addition to the stresses placed on the civilians by this internal conflict, the nation is now receiving a significant portion of the 800,000 refugees currently fleeing Sudan which borders the nation to the north. There are also still thousands of unexploded landmines throughout South Sudan which were designed to maim full grown adults. The effects on small children are often much worse and are usually fatal.

There are no accurate numbers on how many orphans are currently in South Sudan; however it is estimated the conflicts in both Sudan and South Sudan have created approximately 2 million orphans across the region. Over 90% of South Sudan’s roads are dirt, leaving them susceptible to extreme erosion and flooding. This makes critical routes impassable, and leaves millions of civilians without adequate food or medical support during the wet season.

We are currently partnered with survivors who were orphaned by this region’s many wars, and whose lives have been healed and made whole through Jesus. They now walk in forgiveness and dedicate their lives to orphan care, and the spreading of the Gospel.