After 20 years of civil war and its devastating effects, South Sudan became a new nation on July 9, 2011. Tragically, within two years, factions within the country renewed long-standing rivalries and the country descended into political and tribal violence.
Thousands of South Sudanese fled south to the United Nations Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Uganda. It is here that MAPSJ is working to emphasize peace building, education, and vocational training.
With recent political reconciliation in South Sudan, we are hopeful that the refugees we work with in Uganda can return to their villages in South Sudan.
(Statistics about South Sudan, compiled by the World Bank Group, 2013.
1. Only 27% of the population 15-years-old and above is literate.
2. The infant mortality rate is 105 per 1,000 live births. The maternal mortality rate is 2,054 per 100,000 live births, considered the worst in the world.
4. 38% of the population walks more than 30 minutes one way to collect drinking water.
Approximate Populations –
Capital City, Juba: 300,000
Central Equatoria: 1.2 million
Eastern Equatoris: 963,000
MAPSJ Training Location, about 60 mi. / 95 km southwest of Juba… along the border of the South Sudan states of Central Equatoria and Eastern Equatoria, near the intersection of the new Juba-Nimule paved highway (A43) and unpaved road that heads northeast to Torit.