Homes of Living Hope and Life in Abundance International (LIA), an African faith-based community development organization, have recently entered into a formal partnership agreement to address the rudimentary primary health care needs of three communities in South Sudan. Operating in over 30 communities in 10 countries across Africa and the Caribbean since its founding as a non-profit in 1993 by its president Dr. Florence Muindi, LIA works with the local Church to assess the needs of vulnerable communities and trains community members to meet those needs.
In the first phase of this partnership, HoLH will be constructing and stocking a medical facility made from used shipping containers for three communities in South Sudan, the first being the suburb of Gudele outside of the capital Juba with a population of 150,000 people. With the rapid increase of displaced persons returning to South Sudan’s urban centers after its civil war combined with its severe lack of infrastructure, the people of Gudele must travel to Juba for access to basic healthcare services, and often go untreated. Five preventable diseases severely afflict the region, namely Malaria, Typhoid, Pneumonia, Anemia and Gastroenteritis. The overall goal of the project is to improve the health of the community in Gudele by reducing the morbidity and mortality of destitute families who have limited access to affordable health care services. LIA will receive and put the final touches on the container, oversee the staffing of the medical clinic, and maintain the clinic’s security.
LIA’s work as a community development organization is outlined in this video from their website.
The project build-out will begin on Saturday Oct. 12 at the Jax Mercantile parking lot in Lafayette, Colorado and will continue each successive Saturday until Nov. 9 when it will be prepared for shipment. HoLH is looking for the involvement of up to 1,000 volunteers for the construction, packing, and painting of the medical clinic. Sign-up to volunteer on the project build-out or follow this link for more ways to become involved!