Helping hand for South Sudan - The New Age Online

Elfas Torerai

A delegation from South Sudan said it had learnt valuable lessons on how the North West uplifts the welfare of its citizens.

The delegation was on a tour of the province last week, visiting cooperatives, early childhood development centres, grant pay-out points and other social upliftment programmes run by the social development department.

The head of the delegation, Gatwech Lam Puoch, said their two-day fact-finding tour would prove helpful in rebuilding their country after many years of conflict.

“We came to benchmark on social development programmes. We want to learn about the distribution of social grants to the needy, social assistance legislations and many other poverty eradicating projects initiated by communities in the province.

“It has been a fruitful visit whose important lessons can make a huge difference in our country,” he said.

Lam Puoch added that his country was grappling with poverty caused by many years of war before the separation with Sudan.

“War has contributed immensely to an increasing number of households headed by women. About 51% of the population of South Sudan live below the poverty line, with men contributing 48% of that figure.

“Projects like those we have seen will go a long way in bringing relief to people,” he said.

Social development MEC Mositsanagape Mokomele-Mothibi said she was delighted to have shared knowledge with the visitors.

“The delegation visited the Lotlhakane Primary Agricultural cooperative and the Seba interior and catering cooperative initiated by women at Bodibe in the Ngaka Modiri Molema district.

Their tour ended with viewing income-generating projects initiated by women groups and at the Isibindi community-based model of care for early childhood development in Bojanala.

“We believe they got important lessons that would help them improve the welfare of their citizens,” she said.

According to the 2009 census statistics, South Sudan has 8.2 million people. Its independence was preceded by two civil wars, between 1955 and 1972 – and between 1983 and 2005.

About 2.5 million people were killed and more than 5 million externally displaced. Relations with Sudan remain tense, especially over the disputed region of Abyei.

In January 2012, South Sudan shut down all of its oil fields in a row over the fees Sudan demanded for the transit of the oil.

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