German donation helps Street Children’s centre in South Sudan

German Ambassador Johannes Lehne on October 30 signed the US$ 12,399 contract on behalf of his embassy, while Association Chairman Angelo Wieu Mou inked the funding documents for the organisation.

“Children are the future of this country,” said Lehne during a signing ceremony at the Embassy. “One child lost on the road is too much.”

Mou said the Green Hope Association targets children up to 14 years old and attributed their plight to family separations, domestic violence, lack of parental support and movement of children from villages to urban centres in search of social services like education.

He also blamed the civil war underway in the country since 2013, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, for increasing the number of children loitering and living on the streets. The European Commission-Humanitarian Aid and Civil protection (ECHO) says the conflict in South Sudan has left thousands of children separated from the relatives or missing.

Lehne expressed hope that the embassy’s input would help many benefit from the centre which is expected to be completed by January next year.

The support is part of the Germany’s 2015 funding of almost US$ 47,000 for South Sudanese non-government organisations and civil-society organisations.

This small scale funding aims at providing assistance to local communities and the most vulnerable people in South Sudan.

The German envoy added that the embassy received many applications, but priority is given to sectors that do not get help from other agencies.

More small scale projects are expected to be funded next year to provide opportunities for indigenous non-government and civil-society organisations.

Speaking to the media, GHA’s Director for Budgeting, Ngong Deng Yel, said the association aimed at identifying the number of street children, integrating them into communities and helping provide education and vocational skills.

According to Yel, the association has so far registered 517 children in the commercial areas of Malakia and Konyokonyo while lack of funds, logistics and insecurity had delayed plans to extend activities to other areas in Juba and beyond.

Mou explained that through individual contributions and membership fees, the association organises interactive sessions with the children, donates clothes, offer food and medical treatment to the sick.

He said that he was disappointed to have no support from the State and National ministries of Gender, Child and Social Welfare for the association, despite his pleas.

The chairman added that a piece of land had been acquired in Kator Payam (Sub-county) for the construction of a rehabilitation centre that would offer counselling services to reform children before re-uniting them with their families.

“Green Hope, we have hope in our hearts and in our nation,” said Mou.