Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) offers rehabilitation support for refugee children and adults with disabilities at Renk transit centre, South Sudan. Photo: JRS-South Sudan
Canadian Jesuits International is supporting a project by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in South Sudan that will improve the mental health, psycho-social well-being, and resilience of 7,273 refugees and returnees from Sudan, as well as members of communities that host them in Renk and Maban.
The project will help make it easier for 1,241 children from refugee and host communities to access education. It will also ensure that 1,780 people displaced by the conflict in Sudan are protected and supported through various mental health and psycho-social support services.
The Sudan conflict, now entering its fourth year, has been described by the United Nations as “the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.” Intense fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left nearly 34 million people, or 65% of the population, “in urgent need of humanitarian support,” said the UN. Around 14 million people have been forced to leave their homes, with 4.4 million of them crossing into neighbouring countries such as South Sudan, Chad, and Egypt.
JRS South Sudan, a CJI Jesuit partner, has been providing humanitarian support alongside the UN human rights agency and other NGOS since the conflict erupted in 2023.
Expected results:
- 41 teachers will be supported and trained in learner-centered pedagogical skills and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to enhance their delivery of quality of education for learners
- 1,241 children in target communities will receive essential education services and supplies to improve enrolment, retention, and completion rates.
- Temporary Learning Spaces will be renovated and equipped in target schools.
- People with psychosocial needs will receive individual and group counselling
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy services for people with disabilities will be strengthened and more accessible
- Community-based structures for psychosocial support will be strengthened and equipped to provide effective and sustainable psychosocial services
The project at a glance:
Beneficiaries
1,241 children from refugee and host communities in Maban and Renk will receive improved access to inclusive education services
1,980 forcibly displaced people will be protected and empowered through multilayered mental health and psychosocial support
Budget
Total budget: $344, 582
CJI contribution: $50,000
Activities:
- Professional development and training for 41 primary school teachers on learner-centered pedagogical skills
- English language proficiency training for 200 Arabic-speaking teachers to equip them with foundational skills to deliver quality teaching in schools
- Renovation of learning spaces in JRS-supported schools
- Structured individual and group counseling sessions
- Community-based mental health screening, assessment, and referral system in Renk
- Community-based recreational activities to foster emotional healing and psychosocial resilience of 300 refugees and returnees
- Distribution of non-food item kits to 100 vulnerable households
- Rehabilitation care for 500 children and adults with disabilities
Please support the work of Jesuit Refugee Service in South Sudan.
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