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Are Ukrainian refugees safe in the UK?

April 4, 2022

  Author:Will Morgan Date:22 April 2022 ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Scheme and the risks of paying Brits to host Ukrainian people in their homes. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led to the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. With EU nations playing their part, and surrounding countries from the west of […]

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Author:
Will Morgan

Date:
22 April 2022

‘Homes for Ukraine’ Scheme and the risks of paying Brits to host Ukrainian people in their homes.

The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led to the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. With EU nations playing their part, and surrounding countries from the west of Ukraine accepting refugees, the UK appeared reluctant about the prospect of helping those in need. Eventually, on the 14th March 2022, the UK government announced their ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme. This is a sponsorship scheme that ‘will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the UK’. Members of the public who host Ukrainians will be paid £350 a month for their part. So far, 150,000 people have registered their interest in hosting, however, the government has refused to provide figures on how many Ukrainians have arrived in the UK.


Individual sponsors will be asked to provide accommodation, whether that be homes or a spare room rent-free for as long as they are able, for a minimum stay of 6 months. The government announced that councils will be ready to help Ukrainians to settle in and have access to all public services, including access to trauma support. The government also stated that all sponsors will be vetted.

However, Michael Gove, the communities secretary said that hosts would have to only undergo “very light touch” criminal record checks, with the government clarifying later that they actually need tougher DBS checks. Additionally there is no government run portal with inbuilt safeguarding checks. Daniel Sohege, a specialist in international refugee law, wrote on Twitter that “the government has been liaising with certain groups, but it hasn’t brought in the refugee or child protection sectors on a large scale”. This is worrying for Ukrainians coming to live in England, as it appears the government is not doing nearly enough to protect them from risk of exploitation and trafficking. Those fleeing war should not be cast into another potentially unsafe, or even traumatising situation, if they were coming to seek refuge in the UK.

The £350 a month that will be provided for sponsors also could raise an issue. Will the vetting process check if the sponsors are taking in Ukrainians for the right reasons? Or whether they taking them in because they only need the extra money? With this cohort of refugees being different to other groups in the past, with lots of children and elderly people, there is an even greater need for care and the provision of genuine support upon arrival. Although the government has heralded this scheme as the answer to public pressure to create a safe place for refugees to come from Ukraine, there still are a lot of questions. More clarity needs to be provided on each level of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ process, sponsor vetting, numbers, and continual updates about its progress. Until these are provided, it is difficult to believe that this scheme is as welcoming as the government says it is.

Photo Credits: Zuma Press, Inc/Alamy; Reuters


How the Sisters in Amman Hospital helped 88 year old Najah

April 12, 2021

By IRT volunteer Rosie McCall.   Najah in critical condition Eighty-eight-year-old Najah was admitted to the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan, suffering from kidney failure along with multiple complications related to her condition. Doctors considered her condition critical and immediately placed her in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), where she was overseen by the […]

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By IRT volunteer Rosie McCall.

 

Najah in critical condition

Eighty-eight-year-old Najah was admitted to the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan, suffering from kidney failure along with multiple complications related to her condition. Doctors considered her condition critical and immediately placed her in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU), where she was overseen by the nephrologist who headed the Dialysis Unit.

Najah rapidly responded to treatment and her kidney function returned to normal. The result was so swift, she was taken out of the ICU after just 12 hours. Subsequent check-ups from The Dominican Sisters of the Presentation, who run the hospital, found she was happy and well – though she had to be pushed to take her antibiotics and drink more water!

 

Due to the success of the treatment, she was allowed to return home within 24 hours; a situation she much preferred as it enabled her to be surrounded by her grandchildren.

No free healthcare for Syrian refugees

Living in the UK, it can be easy to take the right to free healthcare for granted. But many Syrian refugees, like Najah, living in Jordan are simply unable to afford necessary and often life-saving medical assistance. Najah lives with her daughter and her daughter’s family. The eight of them live on just 300 Jordanian dinars a month – an income well below the country’s average and which almost entirely goes on rent (250 dinars a month) and water/electricity bills (30 dinars a month). The cost of her hospital treatment, meanwhile, was over 700 dinars.

Najah, like many of her fellow refugees, fled Syria following the outbreak of civil war in 2011. There are now more than 660,000 Syrians (more than 10 percent of the population) living in Jordan, a situation causing considerable pressure on resources like housing and healthcare.

Hospital crucial to refugees

Organisations like The Italian Hospital and the Karak Hospital have been crucial when it comes to providing medical assistance to the community. In 2020-21, the two hospitals admitted a total of 188 Syrian refugees for essential medical treatment as inpatients, and more than 2,000 outpatients. However, services such as these are under-resourced and over-stretched. The impact of covid-19 has placed additional strain on the hospitals as international funding has been redirected towards the pandemic.

All support the IRT offers these hospitals goes directly towards paying for treatment for refugees.


How IRT’s support helped Syrian refugee, Baraa

April 12, 2021

By IRT volunteer Rosie McCall.   Refugee’s in Jordan have no free healthcare In 2013, Baraa left her hometown of Homs in Syria, when her house was bombed and family members killed during the ongoing civil war. Since resettling in Amman, she has married and now has two children – a daughter and her son, […]

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By IRT volunteer Rosie McCall.

 

Refugee’s in Jordan have no free healthcare

In 2013, Baraa left her hometown of Homs in Syria, when her house was bombed and family members killed during the ongoing civil war. Since resettling in Amman, she has married and now has two children – a daughter and her son, now one-year-old.

Baraa, 27, was admitted to the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan, in January 2020 with labour pains and fearing another miscarriage.

Like many refugees in her situation, Baraa – who is originally from Syria – did not have access to free healthcare and her husband’s monthly salary left little extra after rent and bills. Fortunately, she was able to access the care and treatment she needed, including medical tests and examinations, at the Italian Hospital – an organisation that operates under an open-door policy and does its best to guarantee medical assistance to pregnant women like Baraa, as well as children with severe infections or who require urgent surgery.

Staff at the Italian Hospital in Amman, Jordan.

It’s a boy!

Despite her history of miscarriage, Baraa gave birth to a baby boy with the help of a midwife and both mother and child were discharged from hospital the following day. In a subsequent follow-up appointment, Baraa and her son were said to be doing very well.

While Baraa’s story has a happy ending, clinics like the Italian Hospital are facing increasing amounts of pressure, making it harder for them to fulfil their mission and assist refugees who may otherwise be denied potentially lifesaving treatment. The pandemic, especially, has exacerbated any existing financial strains on these services, as funding from international organisations is funnelled towards issues related to Covid-19.

All donation’s go straight to the hospital

Every bit of support the IRT provides the hospital goes directly towards the cost of treatment for refugees, like Baraa, in need of urgent medical care.

Baraa is one of more than 660,000 Syrians now living in Jordan.

A number that makes up more than 10 percent of the country’s total population.

 

 

 

 


Saving lives – Help our Children’s Homes

March 10, 2021

We are reaching out to you on behalf of the babies and children of The Moyo Babies’ Home and The Redeemer Children’s Home in northern Uganda. WHY? With around 44 deaths per one thousand babies, Uganda has the HIGHEST under-five mortality rate in East Africa (the UK’s rate is around 4.5). Deadly malaria is rife. […]

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We are reaching out to you on behalf of the babies and children of

The Moyo Babies’ Home and The Redeemer Children’s Home in northern Uganda.


WHY?

With around 44 deaths per one thousand babies, Uganda has the HIGHEST under-five mortality rate in East Africa (the UK’s rate is around 4.5). Deadly malaria is rife. Highly infectious diseases, such as typhoid, diarrhoea, pneumonia, and HIV/AIDS, are often passed from the mother to infant, and can be fatal to the parents too, leaving their children as orphans.

More than one million displaced refugees live in Uganda. Of these, more than two thirds are babies and children.

More than ten percent of these vulnerable children are unaccompanied, torn from their homes and loved ones to face extreme poverty, malnutrition, and virulent disease.

Orphaned CHILDREN growing up in poverty are especially vulnerable to PHYSICAL and SEXUAL ABUSE – even death –  and are often forced into early marriage, or child labour, usually missing out on vital education.

THE HOMES

The Moyo Babies’ Home (for ages 0-6 years) and The Redeemer Children’s Home (for ages 6-18 years), run by the Sacred Heart Sisters in Moyo, northern Uganda, provide a lifeline for children facing tragic circumstances. The Sisters do their best to feed, clothe, house, and educate these DESPERATE orphaned children. They also work to provide essential life skills. With NO government support, they rely on the kindness of individuals, such as YOU to give the children a chance in life.

IRT funds 100% of the running costs of the Homes.

 

Click here to see a short video of the children at The Redeemers Children home beautifully performing a traditional dance.

Meeting the Costs

IRT has helped the Homes to establish two small-scale farms, with pigs, poultry, cattle and a small dairy. They also produce a variety of crops, including maize, soya and millet. The Sisters are doing their best to achieve a high level of food self-sufficiency in order to defray running costs, but they cannot continue to do this without YOUR help,

THE COST OF COVID

Covid travel restrictions have disrupted the deliveries of foodstuffs and other vital goods. The Sisters are trying to cope as best they can – relying on the farms as far as possible, but prices in the markets have soared:

Item             Before Covid         During Covid

(Prices in pounds sterling)

Milk (1 tin)                                                £7.44                              £8.92

Ground nuts (1 basin)                          £3.97                              £4.96

Millet (1 kg)                                                40p                                50p

Maize (1 kg)                                                20p                                30p

Beans (1 kg)                                                59p                                79p

Meat (1 kg)                                                £1.98                              £2.38

Sugar (1 kg)                                                50p                                 75p

 

Education and vocational training

In northern Uganda, only 30% of children who enter primary school go on to complete their primary school education. The Homes are able to ensure that 100% of the children in their care receive a full education right through to the end of secondary school.

As they come close to their time to leave the Homes, the children are prepared with a choice of vocational courses.  Some qualify as nurses and midwives; others as agricultural business managers, mechanics and lab technicians. This amazing programme can only be sustained with YOUR support.

 

Building HOPE from tragedy

Most of the children at the homes have experienced some truly horrific trauma before arriving at the homes. Here are the stories of just a few of these children:

Rebecca’s story

Fleeing the conflict in South Sudan, Rebecca and her mother were living in a refugee camp in northern Uganda. Reports were received that Rebecca was at HIGH risk. Her mother had SEVERE mental health problems. She BEAT Rebecca, would STAND on her, and even threatened her with a knife.

Rebecca was also SEVERELY undernourished. Local authorities stepped in and, at 8 months, Rebecca was brought to the Moyo Babies’ Home. Initially UNDERWEIGHT and TERRIFIED of people, Rebecca has now attained a healthy weight, her appetite has returned to normal, and she is learning to play.


Diana’s story

In March 2020, Diana’s mother gave birth in the bush while foraging for food. All alone, she tragically bled to death. A villager heard Diana crying and arrived just in time to save the new born baby from a wild pig. The local Parish Priest arranged for Diana to be admitted to the Moyo Babies’ Home.

She is now almost a year old, is thriving and is already able to stand. Without YOUR support, the Sisters would not have been able to provide a home for Diana.


Faustine’s story

Faustine and his Sister, Gloria, were taken into the Homes when their mother persistently deserted them. Mentally unstable, she would wander away from home and sleep under trees in the bush. One day, she could not be found and local authorities brought both children to the Homes.


A word from IRT’s CEO Steven Smith MBE

Saving lives – brighter lives!

“The selfless work of the Sacred Heart Sisters will NEVER stop. But NOW especially, this relies more than ever on YOUR support!  The challenges faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mean supply chains have been disrupted, affecting food, medicines and hygiene products. All have rocketed in price. YOUR help is VITAL in ensuring the children have access to these ESSENTIALS. You will have seen some of the desperately tragic circumstances affecting the children who enter the Homes. It is NOT their fault. But there are many more like them, and we want to continue to offer them love, safety, security and a REAL chance for the future. YOU can help lay the foundations for a better future and give these children HOPE! Thank you!” Steven Smith MBE.

Click here to see more about how your support helps the children.

Steven Smith with the Sisters at the Moyo Babies Home.

You can help!

To make a donation, please fill in the details below, or call our fundraising team on 0208 994 9120. Thank you.

 

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INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE TRUST (IRT) GETS A MAKEOVER!

August 20, 2019

Sharon Hewins As a charitable organisation, we don’t have any spare money to update our work space or equipment. All our furniture was mismatched, shabby, old and in desperate need of updating. Kate Phillips of Handelsbanken had mentioned to me a while ago that her company’s office was being refurbished. She kindly approached her Manager […]

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Sharon Hewins

As a charitable organisation, we don’t have any spare money to update our work space or equipment. All our furniture was mismatched, shabby, old and in desperate need of updating.

Kate Phillips of Handelsbanken had mentioned to me a while ago that her company’s office was being refurbished. She kindly approached her Manager and asked if we could have their old furniture as it was all in really great condition. Luckily, they were happy to donate this to us and a date was set for us to collect.

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We needed a way of transporting this furniture from their offices in Reading, Berkshire to our office in Chiswick, West London. Hiring a lorry was too expensive and so it looked like me might miss the opportunity. Thankfully, Ian Weston of i4Exhibitions, Hook, Hampshire stepped in and kindly offered us the use of one of his company Luton vans, for free! On Friday 12th July, my husband, son (extended IRT family) and I picked up the Luton van and then went on to collect the furniture.

What a lovely, kind-hearted bunch of people I met that day. Ian and Kate especially. While we were busy with the collection, my IRT colleagues were frantically clearing out our office furniture in preparation for when we arrived. It didn’t go as smoothly as we hoped because of a traffic situation on the motorway, but we finally got all our ‘new’ furniture in situ.

WE REALLY CAN’T THANK EVERYONE ENOUGH! WE NOW HAVE A LOVELY WORKING SPACE WITH MATCHING, STURDY NEW-LOOKING FURNITURE, ALL THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF THESE CARING INDIVIDUALS.

A BIG special thank you to:

Kate Phillips – for securing the furniture

Ian Weston – for the loan of his vehicle

Daren and Craig Hewins – for their blood, sweat, tears and patience (in the traffic)

By Sharon Hewins Programme Funding Manager at IRT


Jordan Emergency Appeal

July 25, 2019

It is with immense sadness that we must again ask for your urgent help with assisting thousands of refugees in Jordan. The Comboni Missionary Sisters and the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation desperately need your help to fund their vital work. Seven years of war in Syria have created the world’s largest refugee crisis and, […]

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It is with immense sadness that we must again ask for your urgent help with assisting thousands of refugees in Jordan. The Comboni Missionary Sisters and the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation desperately need your help to fund their vital work. Seven years of war in Syria have created the world’s largest refugee crisis and, with no end in sight, thousands of refugees from Syria still need your help. In a country with no free healthcare, your donations fund the Sisters’ work, providing desperate refugees with vital emergency medical care at two hospitals. Life-saving surgery and complications relating to childbirth are just some of the challenges the hospital staff face. The Sisters at the hospitals have reached out to us for help, stating:

EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED NEW RULES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY HIKED THE COST OF PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES FOR SYRIAN REFUGEES. HUNDREDS OF SICK REFUGEES SUFFER EVERY DAY AND CANNOT AFFORD THE INFLATED MEDICAL COSTS, WHICH HAVE INCREASED FIVE TIMES THE AMOUNT IN SOME AREAS. DISTRESSINGLY, THIS HAS INCREASED THE DEATH TOLL AMONGST REFUGEES, PARTICULARLY IN INFANT MORTALITY. THIS IS THE MAIN REASON FOR OUR CRY FOR HELP, WE NEED URGENT DONATIONS TO HELP US CONTINUE SAVING THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES.” – SR . ALESSANDRA FUMAGALLI

Over 2.7 million refugees have entered Jordan, desperately trying to escape civil wars in Palestine, Iraq and Syria.

The refugees’ struggle
Imagine how you would feel if you went on holiday with your family and some suitcases, only to be told, while you were away, that you could never come home. Ever. How long could you survive on the contents of your luggage and the cash in your pocket? This is the situation that refugees face. Except they weren’t going on holiday. Their former homes have been reduced to rubble, family members killed, and all hope gone. The lack of media coverage in Jordan, means the world just isn’t aware of the problems refugees are facing when they arrive in Jordan. With humanitarian aid in short supply and no free health care, your donations are as important as ever.

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The Sisters inform us that thousands of refugees try to get work to support their families daily, but with the government only giving approximately 30% of these refugees work permits, many are unable to work, no matter what skills they possess. There is a beacon of light amid all this hopelessness. Two beacons in fact. These are the two ‘Italian Hospitals’, located in Karak and Amman, and run by the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation and the Comboni Missionary Sisters. Founded 90 years ago by an Italian priest, to attend to the needs of the poor and refugees, these are bastions of hope for those in extreme distress and hardship. The Sisters selflessly donate their time, energy, faith and their love for all humanity. But they can do nothing without the essential supplies that are needed.

The hospitals are a beacon of light for refugees in Jordan who have nowhere else to turn.
4-year-old MOHD

Little Mohd had been very poorly for some time. His desperate parents had nowhere else to turn so took him to the Italian Hospital in Amman. The Sisters noticed that Mohd’s parents had travelled so far from their refugee camp, hungry, exhausted and with no money for food or a place to stay.
The Sisters fed Mohd’s family and let them stay at the hospital with him. The surgeon performed an emergency tonsillectomy on the little boy and he is now doing really well.
IT COSTS THE SISTERS £1,185 TO PROVIDE TREATMENT OF THIS NATURE

25-year-old SABAH
Sabah was suffering with excruciating abdominal pain and bleeding. She could not afford the treatment at the local government-run hospital near her refugee camp. In pain and in desperate need of medical
attention, she travelled to the Italian hospital in Amman where she could receive free treatment. Sabah received lifesaving surgery for severe bleeding in her uterus. The doctors were able to save her life by performing an emergency hysterectomy. The Sisters cared for Sabah for free and looked after her until she made a full recovery.

THE COST OF THIS TREATMENT WAS £1,650. WITHOUT YOUR GENEROUS HELP AND SUPPORT, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT, LEFT UNTREATED, SABAH WOULD HAVE DIED.

The Karak hospital is treating a minimum of 300 people a day. The hospital staff are stretched, and medical supplies are urgently needed to save the lives of thousands of refugees from Syria and surrounding countries. We are so lucky to have a free health service in the UK, but refugees in Jordan are not so lucky.

With 1 in 3 people in Amman being a refugee, the situation is dire and urgent funds are required.
All around the world, people just like you are being forced to flee their homes because of war and persecution. IRT does all it can to help those in the most desperate need. Jordan has already faced waves of refugees arriving from Palestine and Iraq. Now it is struggling to cope with the massive influx of Syrians desperately seeking safety. Your donations are a Godsend to those in need.

CHILDREN UNDER 15, MAKE UP 48% OF THE SYRIAN REFUGEE POPULATION IN JORDAN.

Sister Elizabeth’s word:
Matthew 25:40 ‘Whatever you did for the least of My brothers you did unto Me’

‘I personally ensure that all of the patients we treat, these, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, are treated with dignity. I also insist this with my employees at the hospital so all patients are treated equally. We are created in the likeness of God himself and we must respect all.’ Thank you for helping us to continue God’s work and God Bless’. Sr. Elizabeth Mary Chakkiath O.P.
Refugees in Jordan barely have enough money to survive let alone pay for vital medical care.

A word from Steven Smith MBE, CEO, International Refugee Trust:
“International Refugee Trust is a small charity and we rely on support from individuals to help refugees and vulnerable families in developing countries.

Many of the projects we support are run by Missionary Sisters. Often working in dangerous and distressing conditions, they dedicate their lives to helping those facing severe hardship on a daily basis. Your donations are received with heartfelt gratitude and joy. They make such an amazing difference!
We ask you at this most Holy time of year to help the Holy Sisters with God’s mission to the Syrian refugees and IRT’s projects in aid of those whose lives have been torn apart by war and conflict. Thank you for your generous support.”

Help save lives and donate generously.

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Are you getting your 5-a-week?

July 25, 2019

Are you getting your 5-a-week? We are often told by nutritionists that to lead a healthy life, you must simply eat five pieces of fruit and veg, and three meals a day. However, children in northern Uganda, victims of extreme poverty, will have to survive on only five meals a week, washed down with dirty […]

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Are you getting your 5-a-week?

We are often told by nutritionists that to lead a healthy life, you must simply eat five pieces of fruit and veg, and three meals a day. However, children in northern Uganda, victims of extreme poverty, will have to survive on only five meals a week, washed down with dirty water. If you feel that these children and their families do not deserve to live in this poverty, donate today and feed them the three meals a day they deserve. Give them a chance at survival.

Meet one of our many success stories, Jimmy and Jennifer:
As children, Jimmy and Jennifer’s homes were burnt to the ground by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) when the group took hold of their village. The violence and destruction were devastating, and they were forced to flee with their families and live in refugee camps in horrendous conditions. After the LRA was defeated and safety was restored, they went back to their home village of Angirodyang, in Okwangole parish, Alebtong district, where they worked hard to rebuild their lives. The couple have three young girls and were struggling to provide for them. With a lack of training in farming techniques, they would harvest very little and eat one single meal a day. Jimmy had no hope and ambition for his daughters’ future. Your donations meant that Jimmy and Jennifer’s family could join IRT’s StepUp programme, which changed their lives. Their future now looks bright, and the family are going from strength to strength.

“MY PROOF ARE MY DAUGHTERS, LOOK AT THEM! THEY ARE HAPPY AND HEALTHY, AND THEY ARE NOT MISSING A SINGLE DAY FROM SCHOOL!” – JIMMY “WE HAD A GRASS THATCHED HOME WHICH HAD A SMALL KITCHEN. WE ALL USED TO SLEEP IN THE ONE ROOM TOGETHER. STEPUP HAS DONE SO MUCH THAT IT’S COUNTLESS. DISH DRYING RACK, RUBBISH PIT, PLANTING TRAINING SO WE HAVE HEALTHY TREES IN OUR COMPOUND, GOOD ENERGY SAVING COOKER, VEGETABLE GROWING. SO MUCH. I CAN’T SAY. WE STARTED HAVING BIG DREAMS. WE’VE STARTED TO THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR DAUGHTERS WITH HOPE, AND WITH THE TRAINING WE HAVE RECEIVED WE CAN PUT WHATEVER PLANS WE HAVE INTO PRACTICE. I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO STUDY AND THEY SHOULDN’T DROP OUT. MY DAUGHTERS HAVE HOPE FOR A GOOD FUTURE.” – JENNIFER

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St Therese Hospital, South Sudan

July 25, 2019

Over 60 years ago, Italian nuns at St Therese Hospital, in Nzara, began treating leprosy and TB. Today they need your help more than ever. South Sudan plunged into civil war in 2013, with both sides committing horrific abuses against civilians. Women and children, in particular, have borne the brunt of the conflict. The St […]

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Over 60 years ago, Italian nuns at St Therese Hospital, in Nzara, began treating leprosy and TB. Today they need your help more than ever. South Sudan plunged into civil war in 2013, with both sides committing horrific abuses against civilians. Women and children, in particular, have borne the brunt of the conflict. The St Therese Hospital is a safe haven among the chaos and devastation.

As the displaced population continues to swell around Nzara, the number of people seeking urgent medical treatment grows daily, placing monumental pressure on the Sisters’ scant resources. As well as treating chronic wounds and injuries, the doctors and nurses face an array of serious illnesses, from malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS, and leprosy, to typhoid and gastrointestinal disorders.

MOST LOCAL WATER SOURCES IN THE AREA ARE CONTAMINATED WITH WASTE AND PARASITES, FREQUENTLY CAUSING WATER-BORNE DISEASES.

From June to October, the Sisters can expect an influx of patients due to the increase of malaria cases. Vulnerable children with low immune systems are frequent victims of this terrible disease, and the need for staff, beds and lifesaving treatment is high. The Sisters desperately need more funds to buy malaria drugs in preparation for this difficult period.


RT’s support focuses especially on the 70-bed Paediatric Ward. In the last year, with your support, Nzara Hospital treated 5,456 children as inpatients, of which 3,600 children were below the age of five. In a country with one of the world’s highest child mortality rates, at 93 deaths per thousand, the Paediatric Ward is crucial to reducing infant deaths. Daily, the Sisters face long queues as families wait patiently for their children to be treated. The cries of some can be heard through the corridors. Others open their mouths, but are too weak to cry. No matter how long the queues get, the Sisters will not turn away those needing vital medical care.

£50 can buy 12 anti-malarial injections

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From June to October, the Sisters can expect an influx of patients due to the increase of malaria cases. Vulnerable children with low immune systems are frequent victims of this terrible disease, and the need for staff, beds and lifesaving treatment is high. The Sisters desperately need more funds to buy malaria drugs in preparation for this difficult period.

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South Sudan has been devastated by civil war since 2013. Fighting has killed almost 400,000 people, displaced millions and left more than 7 million in dire need of humanitarian aid. Both sides have committed horrific crimes against humanity, including the mass murder of civilians, abductions, rape, torture and the use of child soldiers. The Comboni Missionary Sisters daily put their lives at risk in South Sudan, the most dangerous country in the word for aid workers. Even the basic task of taking cash out for the hospital is fraught with risk. South Sudan’s banking system has collapsed, so the Sisters must make the perilous journey over hazardous roads to Kampala, in Uganda, over 600 miles away.
Many hospitals in South Sudan have been forced to close because of the conflict, famine and lack of funds, but the Sisters are resolute in their determination to carry on.

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General Appeal

July 25, 2019

All money donated or fundraised to the general appeal, will be spent where it is needed the most. Please read more about our projects in Uganda, South Sudan, Jordan and Tanzania to find out where your money goes.

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All money donated or fundraised to the general appeal, will be spent where it is needed the most.

Please read more about our projects in Uganda, South Sudan, Jordan and Tanzania to find out where your money goes.


Prudential Ride London – Surrey 100

July 23, 2019

This 100-mile route is on fully closed roads, taking in parts of the Olympic road race route. The ride starts in the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then follows the closed roads through the capital and onto Surrey’s stunning country roads and hills. This is a fantastic race, and we would love to have you […]

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This 100-mile route is on fully closed roads, taking in parts of the Olympic road race route. The ride starts in the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then follows the closed roads through the capital and onto Surrey’s stunning country roads and hills.

This is a fantastic race, and we would love to have you on the IRT team! Registration is £50 and we ask that you pledge to raise a minimum of £500 in fundraising.

We will be with you every step of the way, from helping you with your fundraising and sponsorship to cheering you on during the race.

For more information, please email [email protected] or call Jessica on 020 8994 9120.

Book a place

Registration fee £50