Media CenterCRS Welcomes Vatican Aid to South Sudan; Underscores Urgent Need for Continued Assistance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Nikki Gamer
Catholic Relief Services
[email protected]
(443) 955- 7125

En español

BALTIMORE, MD, June 21, 2017 — Catholic Relief Service (CRS) welcomes the Vatican’s contribution of $500,000 to the people of South Sudan as an affirmation of the important role that the Catholic Church continues to play in the world’s newest nation.

While a new report today states that famine has been pushed back in South Sudan, the nation is still facing extreme hunger conditions and millions of people require urgent assistance. Meanwhile, 20 million people are still at risk of famine in Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen.

“What is most important, is Pope Francis telling the world not to give up on South Sudan, that we all must step up our commitment to help,” said Sean Callahan, president & CEO of CRS, who just visited the country and met with families benefitting from CRS programs. “I can tell you from my visit that there is hope. I saw that when people had peace, they got to work, planting their crops, building homes and roads, building the new nation.”

The Vatican funds will go to help relieve the suffering in South Sudan, where nearly half the population is facing food shortages and displacement due to fighting between political and ethnic factions.

CRS has been active in South Sudan since before it became a nation, working with Church and other partners to help ensure that the referendum on secession from Sudan came off peacefully.

“During the decades of civil war, the Church was often the only functioning institution across large parts of what is now South Sudan,” Callahan said. “Church leaders were among those most responsible for the negotiations that ended the fighting and led to the referendum on the country’s independence. And now, as the country once again seeks peace, the Church is there for the people of South Sudan.”

Since independence, CRS has led a large U.S. government-funded program, primarily in Jonglei State, that has focused on long-term development, including providing food rations to villagers who build roads, schools, dikes and waterways, assets that benefit all community members. The program has been able to pivot to emergency aid in response to the displacement of people due to violence.

“We’ve seen those programs work and make a huge difference in the lives of people in South Sudan. Now is not the time to turn our backs. There’s still hope and we can still get things done.”

CRS has been urging Congress to continue to fund robust foreign aid in countries like South Sudan, at a time when the Administration has proposed cutting – even eliminating – programs that save lives. 

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. CRS’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance and peacebuilding. For more information, please visit crs.org or crsespanol.org and follow CRS on social media: Facebook, @CatholicRelief, @CRSnews, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.