‘In the refugee settlement at Mangalla there is no running water,’ said Rev Samuel Majok, South Sudanese Congregation pastor, Oakhurst Anglican Church. ‘To get water, refugees have to collect it from the Nile river [which] is a one hour walk each way. People go every day with their jerry cans.’ 

‘Children and women can get taken by crocodiles. It is not safe.’

‘River water is not clean for drinking and the refugees need access to safe water. It will help them to live there without diseases.’

The displaced people from Jonglei State are Dinka people, mostly Christians, who identify as a part of the Episcopal church. The land they are staying on is undeveloped. From the emergency relief appeal after the floods, Anglican Aid supplied plastic sheets which they hung between trees to create shelter.

Rev Samuel Majok says, ‘Once the villages are flooded, the water will stay there for long. There will be no good crops for 10 or 20 years. So the people will not return for many years.’ 

Funds raised by Anglican Aid will show the love of Christ to the displaced people by providing safe drinking water for drinking and washing. This will protect them from the dangers of collecting water from the river and prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.