Thanks to our generous donor, phase one of our school building is now built! Work has been going on well at Omilling, and the first two classrooms block are nearly finished. With all our projects we are continually learning, and the buildings should be quicker to assemble. We have experienced supplies problem, and the shortages of soil block production due to heavy rain fall, but these problems have been addressed. We are now keeping larger stocks of materials in one of the classrooms. The construction… Read More
The Land Rover Reached South Sudan
The Land Rover is released from the Custom and is deployed to the disposal of our Program Coordinators in the ground. Reaching Omilling rural communities has been a major challenge not only for HO, but also for other humanitarian agencies working in the country. The vast area is rural, and roads are also bad. The land Rover has the capabilities to match the challenge. The land Rover is capable to transport two metric tonnes to reach communities in remote, difficult – to – access rural… Read More
A Volunteer Driver is Urgently Needed
Are you a safe, friendly driver keen to give back to your community? Do you want to volunteer for an organization that makes a difference to women’s lives? Hope Ofiriha is an independent small charity recognized for its innovation in empowering women and children living in rural communities to overcome social injustice, disease, illiteracy, and poverty. Our small-scale interventions enhance their social and economic well being and help them reach their potential. We are seeking a volunteer who is genuine about making a difference in women’s… Read More
Today is World AIDS Day
Dec. 1, is World AIDS Day. Theme: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths. On World AIDS Day, organizations and world leaders hold events to commemorate and raise awareness around the struggles of people suffering from HIV/AIDS. Over the last month, world leaders have been speaking publicly in honor of the day, highlighting the need for not just medical interventions in treatment and prevention but education and awareness too. In her speech to the National Institute of Health, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary… Read More
A Land Rover Is Heading to Omilling
Omilling is about 62 kilometers from Torit’s state capital. Accessing either is virtually impossible for villagers because there are no paved roads or public transportation to get there. A volunteer worked 50 hours in the past two weeks to ensure that a donated Land Rover is prepared for its new role in south Sudan. The Land Rover is cleaned, passed EU traffic test, and painted Green. It has left the Sweden port of Wallham on November 19 by EUKOR Car Carriers Inc, and is expected… Read More
Educate Children and Fight Poverty
Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005, Omilling village has seen an influx of returning refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including hundreds of war orphans and former child soldiers. The only school the village has to serve several thousand elementary-aged students is a small two-room temporary shack made out of twigs. The shack, used for early elementary, has no text books and no pit latrines (giving the school grounds an unpleasant odor)… Read More
Provide Lifesaving Healthcare and Medicines
The consequences of insufficient healthcare in South Sudan are dire. The region’s neonatal, infant, child, and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world, and the average life expectancy is only 42 years old. Routine health issues, such as diarrhea, pregnancy, and puncture wounds, can be a death sentence. Omilling, where Hope Ofiriha’s Loheru Health Post is located, faces the added burden of having one of the worst HIV-AIDS concentrations in South Sudan… Read More
Provide Better Blocks for Reconstruction
War-ravaged Magwi County is in dire need of permanent homes for the 100,000 refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) flooding the area. Building materials are in short supply, however, and people are cutting down trees at an alarming rate. Severe deforestation (Sudan has one of the worst deforestation problems in the world) results in soil erosion, declining agricultural productivity, and contributes to climate change worldwide. Blocks are a better choice, but… Read More
Prevent HIV-AIDS through Awareness
During the civil war, rebels frequently stormed area settlements in the dead of night and gang-raped women, sometimes infecting them with HIV-AIDS. When thousands of refugees flooded Omilling after the peace agreement was signed in 2005, many of them brought HIV-AIDS with them too. Today, between 20 and 40 percent of people in Omilling settlements test positive for HIV-AIDS compared to 2 percent in Sudan as a whole. The HIV-AIDS epidemic is devastating the war-ravaged… Read More
Reduce Hunger and Women’s Workloads
One of the foods people in South Sudan eat almost every day is a porridge type dish made out of ground maize. Before it can be made, maize kernels have to be cut off cobs and then ground into a smooth powder. In Omilling, women do all this work by hand. For the grinding, they must squat on their knees for hours, hurting their back and joints. This laborious work takes several months to complete after each maize harvest. Sometimes, families go hungry when women’s… Read More
Save People from Dying from Malaria
Malaria, spread from the bite of an infected female mosquito, is epidemic all over South Sudan. The two health clinics Hope Ofiriha operates in Omilling and Onura do not have any equipment to test for it. When patients come to the clinics with malaria-like symptoms, they get treated for malaria. If they are sick for another reason, the misdiagnosis can cost them their life. The misdiagnosis also contributes to the spread of drug resistance and unnecessary antimalarial… Read More
Stop Poverty from Forcing Kids Out of School
Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005, Omilling village has seen an influx of returning refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of them are women and children, and most “families” are single mothers caring for three or more children—their own off-spring, the children of relatives, war orphans, or children separated from their families. Many of these children never step foot in a school, practically guaranteeing a life-long cycle of poverty… Read More
Stop Poverty from Forcing Kids Out of School
Since the signing of the peace agreement in 2005, Omilling village has seen an influx of returning refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Most of them are women and children, and most “families” are single mothers caring for three or more children—their own off-spring, the children of relatives, war orphans, or children separated from their families. Many of these children never step foot in a school, practically guaranteeing a life-long cycle of poverty… Read More
