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THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN IN
SOUTH SUDAN HAVE LOST THEIR FAMILIES or became separated from them in the chaos
of the civil war. Many face starvation and an uncertain future. Eight-year-old Diok is one such child. Unused to people being kind to him, he shrinks from a friendly touch, afraid of being hit or hurt again. His name, in the Nuer language, means 'disaster three times over'. After his parents died, his closest relative - an uncle - rejected him. So Diok wandered in the bush for years on his own. He has coped with hunger, fear, marauding soldiers, and being treated like an animal. "Maybe God gave my uncle the wrong heart," said Diok sadly. "He never liked my mother or me, even when she was alive. So when she died of typhoid, things became worse. I had to walk away and find my own way of living." Life for Diok was spent wandering from village to village begging for food and a safe place to sleep. He says most people drove him away because they were also hungry and desperate - and didn't want another mouth to feed. Diok, and those like him, are the children you seldom see on the television news or read about in newspapers. Sudan's civil war and subsequent food crisis has made it easy to remember the disaster, but forget about the individuals behind the bold headlines. But Save the Children doesn't forget. As part of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), we have responded to the crisis with more than 30 other non-governmental organisations. As part of our long-term relief programme, we have given out community survival kits' - containing cloth, cooking pots and salt, for example. We have helped local 'bush shops' to trade, provided agricultural equipment, and trained animal health workers. Whatever else happens, Save the Children remembers that children like Diok need individual help - whether it is food, water, or to be reunited with their families where these exist. A lot of informal fostering goes on here. Save the Children supports foster families where possible. A childless woman called Mary took pity on Diok and took him in."I came here and found him suffering,"she said. "Then I agreed to live with him as a son. He is like a baby to me." Save the Children gave Diok and Mary some food, soap, seeds to plant, and clothes so that Diok could go to school for the first time. Unfortunately, starvation has since forced Mary to move again, leaving Diok behind for his own safety. Save the Children has given Diok some clothes to barter for food. Life is full of uncertainties, but without Save the Children it would be even harder. |
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