Stephen shares his memories and concerns from his JRS work in East Africa.
This is one of my favourite pictures from my time in JRS East Africa taken by Sr. Lolin Menendez over ten years ago.Take a bit of time to just look into this little displaced girl’s face ….
She is displaced in Southern Sudan from the war event which disrupted the whole country post-1991. Now you may have seen a completely new generation of displaced people as shown in a recent Comic Relief TV documentary; displaced people from the new civil war post South Sudan’s independence in 2011.
The badge of her school hanging around the girl’s neck (picture) noted the motto of her school in Nimule, ‘We are the Light’. Note the light of trust and hope that shines from her face. There is also perhaps a hint of weariness that would have come from living in harsh conditions and the uncertainty in what is going on around her. This same touching innocence came through the recent TV documentary I mentioned. Young people talking of their situation and needs which puts the violence of war into such stark relief. Whatever the politics, these young people surely deserve a future. What can I or you do to help in some way?
Stephen Power SJ is Treasurer of JRS UK. JRS UK is part of JRS International which works in more than 50 countries worldwide. South Sudan continues to go through difficult times as it seeks to establish a sustainable peace settlement and continue its journey as a new country.
Here in JRS International website, you can read about recent situations in South Sudan. We hope that many of you join us in prayers for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the region and other troubled parts of the world.
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