Israeli umbrella NGO to send aid to South Sudan

Group will send a consignment of humanitarian aid to the newly formed nation, will also provide assistance to vulnerable women and children.

By JEREMY SHARON
South Sudan Israel flags 311 (photo credit: Ben Hartman)
South Sudan Israel flags 311
(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
IsraAid, an umbrella group of Israeli and Jewish humanitarian aid organizations, is preparing to send a consignment of humanitarian aid to the newly formed nation of South Sudan, the group said in a statement on Sunday.
The aid package worth $100,000 will include food, clean water, medical supplies and other non-food items.
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In addition, IsraAid teams have also begun to plan for a long-term project, aimed at providing assistance to vulnerable women and children living on the streets and in refugee camps around the capital city of Juba. The group, whose full name is the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid, hopes to raise $1.5 million for the initiative.
“As a small and relatively new-born country, Israel has gained experience in various factors of water, agriculture, post-traumatic stress disorder, education, migration and others that would be valuable to the people of South Sudan who are now building their country,” said Shachar Zahavi, founding director of IsraAID. It is our mission and Jewish commitment to reach out to our new friends in any way we can.”
IsraAid is working in conjunction with Operation Blessing, a Christian humanitarian aid organization based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which is providing support on the ground for IsraAid’s efforts.
The American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto are IsraAid’s main partners for its efforts in South Sudan.
South Sudan faces intense humanitarian challenges.
According to the Southern Sudan Household Health Survey conducted in 2006 in conjunction with UN agencies, the infant mortality rate in the country is 102 per 1,000 (the rate in Israel is four per 1,000).
Nearly 10 percent of the population is severely food-insecure, according to the World Food Program, and the United Nations Development Program says that more than 90% of the 9.1 million people in South Sudan live on a dollar a day.