Star Support Group, Yambio (Western Equatorial State)
The context of Foundation supported projects in Southern Sudan is the aftermath of many years of civil war which has left the region’s infrastructure in tatters. STAR Support Group is one of very few providers of services for people in Yambio area living with HIV/AIDS, a huge problem in the aftermath of the civil war and estimated to be about 15% of the population of Western Equatorial State. Yambio, the capital of Western Equatorial State, is a large centre near the borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
STAR Support Group, which began in 2004 with five members, has grown to well over 1300 at present. At the time of its founding, Christmas was approaching, so STAR was chosen as the name because it was the Star that gave hope and direction. From a small feeding and prayer group, STAR has developed into a social/medical program that provides home based care, practical support and counselling for sufferers and families and community education to reduce infection rates and improve care. Following a review during 2010, a decision was taken to discontinue the specifically clinical/medical aspects of the STAR service and these are being phased out during 2011 and transferred to the Comboni Sisters Hospital in nearby Nzara.
STAR Support Group operates under the leadership of Canadian, Br Bill Colford. The staff is comprised of an assistant to the Director, who has responsibility for management of finances, a nurse, counsellor and co-ordinator of home based care.
The Christian Brothers’ involvement in Yambio extends back over 20 years and has contributed significantly to secondary education, teacher training and health services in the region. Comboni Parents’ Secondary School is a co-operative enterprise of parents and teachers in a region with about 80% illiteracy. Comboni School has a population of about 450 students aged from around 14 to 35, seeking to complete secondary school. The spread of ages is a consequence of the disruption of the years of civil war. Most students come from Yambio itself but some from up to 50 km away, who board in the town. The first senior secondary national exams conducted since the end of the war were held in 2008 and 18 out of 22 Comboni students presented obtained local tertiary entrance grades. Many students have been traumatised by the war and have lost family members. Education has a critical role to play in post war reconstruction but the school itself also has urgent needs in terms of the development of its facilities and the professional development of its teachers.
Following a negotiated ceasefire and five years of uncertain calm after 50 years of civil war, a referendum in January 2011 saw South Sudan vote overwhelmingly to separate from the north. This has been ratified and formal separation will take place in July 2011. However, the new nation will be largely bereft of the operations of a viable state with education, medical services and the civil service in a parlous state. It is hoped that the new nation will at last provide conditions that will enable the local people to begin improving the quality of their lives.
For Star Support Group Newsletters, click on the links below:
Star Support Group Newsletter, June 2011
Star Support Group Newsletter, October 2011
Waiting Area, Star Support Group
