Rebuilding lives and restoring hope in South Sudan

LOUISVILLE — Mama Nyayier [nya-yeer] knows that the casualties of war are not only those on the front lines.

Those who remain behind also fight for their survival.

As a girl in South Sudan, Mama Nyayier once had a good life until civil war broke out in 2013, exposing the then-15-year-old to unimaginable horrors. All around her, countless lives were lost to the armed conflict. Among them were her father and nearly all of her nine siblings. 

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Everywhere across the fledgling nation — which had only gained independence in 2011 — farms, homes and livelihoods were being destroyed, while abductions, detentions and gender-based violence were everyday occurrences. 

An unrelenting onslaught of natural disasters soon followed, causing the United Nations in 2017 to declare famine in parts of South Sudan, with 100,000 people experiencing starvation and another million on the brink of death. In the wake of such an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, millions of desperate residents were displaced from their homes, many to South Sudan’s already overcrowded highlands as well as internal settlements and refugee camps in neighboring countries.

Even when Mama Nyayier was forced to move from the village where she was born to another town in Leer County — one of Unity State’s most affected counties — she still had no guarantee of safety, protection or provisions.

“In 2021, flooding affected my home in Leer County, and I lost most of my properties, livestock, and my small business that used to sustain me and my children,” said Mama Nyayier, who by then was a married mother of four children. “I had to move to the highland, and life was very hard with no hope for survival. In August 2023, I came back to [the town of] Leer with a hope of trying to make a living from petty jobs such as washing utensils in local restaurants.”

As she and her family fell deeper into desperation and hopelessness, “hope” reentered their lives in the form of Hope Restoration South Sudan (HRSS), a nationally registered, women-founded and women-led nongovernmental organization (NGO) that is a partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Founded in 2010 by Angelina Nyajima Simon Jial — herself a former refugee who lived in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya from 1991 to 2008 — HRSS seeks to empower vulnerable populations affected by the conflict, displacement and natural disasters in South Sudan. 

“In the refugee camp, because we had enough food, education and opportunity thanks to U.S. aid and UNICEF, it gave me a different picture of what life could look like outside of the camp,” Jial said. “My experience there taught me that I had to go back home. I had to figure out what I could do to give back to the community.”

And helping to restore the lives and livelihoods of the South Sudanese people is just what a grant from the PC(USA) has made possible. In 2018, the PC(USA) — through such ministries as its Presbyterian Hunger Program — affirmed HRSS’s mission by partnering with them to help vulnerable communities improve food security and empower women and girls through farming. For the past several years, the denomination has also provided additional funding to assist HRSS in the work of disaster relief and recovery.

Financial support from the PC(USA) comes primarily through generous gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing, which furthers HRSS’s mission to alleviate hunger and bring restoration to the people of South Sudan.

“I chose the name ‘Hope Restoration’ because it speaks to my life journey,” said Jial, whose own family has remained in Kenya while the conditions in South Sudan improve. “Having been away from my home, it was out of a sense of hope that I believe one day things will change.”

Centered in the prophet Micah’s call to do justice, One Great Hour of Sharing has been helping neighbors in need around the world for over 75 years. The annual Offering gives the PC(USA) a tangible way to share God’s love by joining together to help eliminate the root causes of the world’s injustices. 

In addition to addressing food scarcity, One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) also benefits such causes as disaster relief, community development and immigration/migration through many ministries of the Church affirmed by the General Assembly. 

Although the Offering may be taken anytime, most congregations receive it on Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday, which this year fall on March 29 and April 5, respectively.

“Hope Restoration South Sudan embodies the goals of One Great Hour of Sharing by offering tangible support to people experiencing hunger, disaster and oppression,” said Eileen Schuhmann, associate for Global Engagement and Resources of the PC(USA). “Through community-driven programs that improve food security, empower women, and promote peace, HRSS helps rebuild lives and restore hope. Their work reflects OGHS’s commitment to sharing resources and standing in solidarity with those in greatest need.”

Mama Nyayier considers herself “lucky” to be among the women who were identified and registered in January 2024 to benefit from the agricultural project supported through HRSS’s partnership with the PC(USA).

“Since our group focused on vegetable farming, we received vegetable kits that comprised assorted seeds like okra, onions, tomatoes, kudhura, sukuma and other types of vegetables,” she said. “I chose to plant onions because many people like them. I was able to sell my production in humanitarian compounds and in the market. I have been able to earn an income to sustain myself and family. I am able to afford basic needs for my children and even take them to school.”

Jial continues to stand in awe of Mama Nyayier, not only because of her resiliency but also because of her initiative.

“She is entrepreneurial,” Jial said with admiration. “She did not allow her past to define her.”

As for Mama Nyayier, although she currently has dreams of expanding her farming into cereals and other cash crops, she acknowledges that, due to flooding, there is limited land for such extensive farming.

“I am grateful to the kindhearted people supporting us through the PC(USA) and Hope Restoration for giving me a second chance to a relatively normal life,” she said. “Because of your kind hearts for humanity, my children have a chance to a future and a better life.” 

The assistance that HRSS receives through One Great Hour of Sharing is more important now than ever. 

“When Presbyterians give to One Great Hour of Sharing, their gifts directly support communities facing hunger, conflict and disaster,” said Schuhmann. “And even more than that, gifts to the Offering help sustain grassroots partners like Hope Restoration South Sudan, who are restoring dignity, building resilience and offering hope where larger systems have failed. Giving is a faithful act of solidarity in a world where compassion and justice are urgently needed.”