COVID-19 Emergency Program Progress

Loading of relief items on trucks to be delivered to Kerwa and Imvepi

CRESS UK have just received the first progress report from the program to help the refugee communities in Imvepi Refugee Settlement and Kerwa Subcounty in Yumbe district deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

110 hand washing containers have been delivered.

867 families received 6 bars of soap each so they can practise good handwashing habits essential to keep coronavirus at bay.

809 targeted families received a food package as food rations from World Food Programme (WFP) to refugees have been reduced by 30%  because of insufficient funds. (Guardian article)

An elderly woman in Kerwa receiving her relief
package

Awareness of COVID-19 through radio programs, adverts posters, social media and SMS is also underway, but due to low literacy rates and lack of radios in the refugee camps, plans for loud-hailer style announcements are now being made.

The Covid-19 emergency program was implemented successfully with minimum challenges due to good collaboration and involvement of the target beneficiaries in every stage of the program. We achieved more than targeted and the program was well-received by the communities because it covered critical needs in this situation of the Corona Virus.

You can read the full report written by Isaac here :

COVID 19 emergency items received in the
Clinic by the In-charge

Download Full Report

Spotlight on Rev. Alfred Yata

Rev. Alfred Yata – Impevi Camp

Rev. Alfred Yata is an ordained pastor in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan; he has 12 family members; their ages range from 9 months to 45 years.one of his family members is sick suffering from TB.

Rev. Alfred had experienced a bad life since when he was born into a poor family of miserable life, he lives in a threatening situation of wars and conflicts all of his life in South Sudan. Due to this situation, he chose a refugee life from 21/2/2017, because he had been threatened to be killed and his family property, including church, was looted and some were burnt, when he had seen that, he decided to flee to Uganda for hiding so they could get protection, food, shelter, health services and education for his children.

Rev. Alfred is the pastor in charge of Miju- Nyona Church in Imvepi refugee settlement, the number of the Christians in that church are 1,978. He felt that God has called him though in times of crises, as the time of prophet Isaiah and prophet Jeremiah, he is very happy that God is using him as His instrument to help his fellow brethren in Christ Jesus.

Reward of work as pastor:

• Always God is hearing his prayers and is answering his prayers especially when he prayed for a specific thing.
• Also, in his ministry people are hearing his preaching and are accepting Jesus and their personal saviour.
• People give respect to him in the ministry
• He does receive Gods’ blessing from friends and well-wishers.

Challenges:

• Lack of enough food in the family as the ratio is reduced to 8.82kg per month per person.
• Lack of Support to my children education
• Lack of Support to his pastoral work
• Lack of transport
• Lack of fund for upgrading
• Lack of money for treatment to his family members
• Lack of support to his Christians
• Lock down because of COVID-19 has affected our work only praying at homes