Dear Friend,

Over the weekend, I read a sobering article in the Washington Post about the devastating effects of climate change in South Sudan where Five Talents works. In many of our communications we talk about flooding being a real challenge to the people we serve. This article gives context for these challenges. The deepening food insecurity, semi-permanent flooding and refugee crisis from the war in Sudan have only exacerbated the incredible difficulties of daily life there.   

The article states, “South Sudan illustrates how even robust investments in relief aid are no match for the cataclysms that climate change, war and corruption have unleashed on many countries. This landlocked nation — which only gained independence from Sudan in 2011 — benefits from more Western funding than its neighbors, with much of it from the United States.

“That money allows for day-to-day triage — upholding mud dikes, maintaining city-sized displacement camps, and providing food aid to some but not all who are hungry. But it isn’t enough to help people recover.”

Building resilience and sustainability in the harsh realities of this context can seem an impossible feat. And yet, I am encouraged to remember this Francisan prayer: 

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them, turning their pain into joy. May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, doing what others claim cannot be done.

Thank you for partnering with us to serve those living in South Sudan. It is a blessing to do this work together.    

With heartfelt gratitude,