The Chief Executive Officer of Kowanj Africa, a non-profit relief initiative established in response to the humanitarian needs of South Sudanese families, orphans, and those afflicted by civil war, has welcomed the recent plea by Pope Francis that women and children should be protected in South Sudan.
On the second day of his apostolic journey in Juba last week, Pope Francis met with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) drawn from Juba, Bentiu, Malakal, and Bor Protection of Civilian sites (PoCs) at the Freedom Hall in Juba where he urged South Sudanese leaders to care for women and children.
While reacting to the pope’s message, Ashoup Ater, the CEO of Kowanj Africa, said women and children are the most vulnerable group in the republic of South Sudan.
Ater added that respect and support for women and children should be one of the country’s moral priorities.
“I am so glad to hear Pope Francis has brought up something essential. You know, bringing peace is one thing, but ending the violence, suffering, and oppression, especially for the most vulnerable group, requires urgent intervention,” Ater said. “And it is not just the women living in South Sudan, but also the refugees living across the different African nations. There again, you see those women are suffering. There is a lot of violence against them and their children and I think it is up to all of us who have the willingness, power, and strategies to protect them.”
According to Ater, the pope calling for the protection of women against violence aligns very much with the objectives of Kowanj Africa of supporting the most vulnerable women and children in society.
She said that when the country descended into chaos, women and children who are the most vulnerable, were affected the most and that for the last two years, Kowanj Africa has been helping South Sudanese refugees who resettled in different parts of Africa, including Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, and South Sudan, by providing humanitarian assistance which consists of educational needs, food items, and shelters to the most vulnerable.
It has been estimated that South Sudan has around 2 million displaced people displaced internally and the same amount in refugee camps mostly in Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda.
Ater said the pope brave the security challenges South Sudan is facing and visited and that it means that the people of the country are not forgotten.
“The popes’ visit is significant for everyone, even those who do not live in South Sudan,” she said.