Sudan: Coming home

A 22-year civil war shattered communities in southern Sudan, which is one of the most impoverished regions in the world. About 1.5 million people have returned to southern Sudan since the 2005 peace agreement. Millions of others, ready to return, wait to see how the efforts to rebuild are progressing. Despite the jubilation when South Sudan became the world's newest nation on July 9, many challenges remain.

MCC, working with long-time Sudanese church partners, is responding through Sudan: Coming Home, a multiyear program that grows out of more than 35 years of partnership. During the civil war, MCC worked with Sudanese church organizations to distribute food aid and support peacemaking efforts. Now the churches have asked MCC to help with recovery and rebuilding as people are returning to their homes in southern Sudan. Through the Diocese of Rumbek, MCC workers have held workshops to educate people about voting rights, human rights and how to take an active role in rebuilding their community. In Rumbek and Juba, vocational and leadership training programs are helping empower women to change their communities. Other MCC-supported work in the region includes trauma healing, peacebuilding, food relief, agriculture projects and HIV and AIDS education and care.