Alms Giving, Agriculture, Binding South Sudanese for Peace and Unity

Gardens of vegetables line up the backyards of homesteads in Sherikat on the outskirt of Juba, and identically in the farms of communities in Akobo West.
Assisted by OOCH, community members brainstorm on peace building initiatives

By Okech Francis

Gardens of vegetables line up the backyards of homesteads in Sherikat on the outskirt of Juba, and identically in the farms of communities in Akobo West.

These are just two areas where Out of Chronic Hatred (OOCH) Organization is undertaking peacebuilding projects using distribution of alms sourced locally, seeds and farm equipment, also sourced from South Sudanese donors and counselling services to unite people divided by years of conflict and poverty.

“These activities are geared towards making people understand that peace is what we need and it starts with us, from community to community,” Rebecca Agau Deng, the Chief Executive officer of Out of Chronic Hatred, said in an interview in Juba.

This youth in Sherikat benefited from OOCH and is now harvesting his groundnuts

“We realize that peace is in satisfaction. If you are hungry, you cannot be peaceful,” Agau said.

“You find some people are fighting to go and get food, some of them go and rob, and all these are elements or factors that destroy peace.”

Helping communities to embrace best agriculture methods, providing them with tools, distributing clothes and farm equipment and seeds as well are some of the activities that Out of Chronic Hatred organization is undertaking with thousands of people in different communities in the capital Juba, Akobo in Jonglei State, Yida in Upper Nile State, Parts of Unity State and the Bahr el Ghazal regions.

Provision of alms have been some of assistances that have helped South Sudanese endure years of crisis.

During those hard times groups and countries like China have provided much needed assistance including in food like rice, provision of services and infrastructures to communities as well as the government of South Sudan.

Chinese government and companies continue to participate in many development aspects in South Sudan, helping build and nurture many sectors including in transport, education and health.

Most of the people the organization works with are those returning from displacement, Agau said.

“We counsel them, talk to them messages of peace and integrate them to work together to develop themselves,” she said.

“We collect money from our own savings and buy for them seeds and some tools and also mobilize resources for their savings and loans and then put them on the path to begin their own development.”

Debunking hate through counselling

Counselling services provided to the communities have helped them become positive towards working with their neighbors and people from other communities, according to Agau.

Following years of crisis in South Sudan, most people tend to live within the confines of their own communities and looked at anyone outside with suspicion.

This has been aggravated by conflicts over resources and the push on them by natural disasters, Agau said.

“People are admitting there is hatred at community and national levels created by issues of resources and also natural disasters like the flooding, and people are not able to settle, moving from one place to another,” she said.

“When you talk to them messages of peace, they embrace it because that is actually what they need,” Agau said.

“For women, we organize them to do different economic activities. We give them money to do business and start saving schemes were they contribute monthly.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *