Inside ARC - 1.23.14 - Ceasefire In South Sudan

Hi jay, I have some breaking news you might not have heard. In the last hour, a ceasefire has been signed in South Sudan by government and rebel forces. This week's update is dedicated to the emergency situation in South Sudan. In the next update, we'll return with updates from other ARC programs around the world. Let us know if you have any questions. -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *Conflict in South Sudan*   NEWS UPDATE: After a month of violence, South Sudan’s government and rebel forces have just signed a ceasefire. Throughout the region and around the world people are hoping this agreement puts a lasting end to the violence. The Violence The crisis began as a political dispute between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar. It quickly spun out of control and escalated into a full-scale conflict devastating much of the world’s newest country. Ethnic killings and other atrocities have been reported. At least 1,000 people have died since the middle of December, and some sources suggest that number is nearer to 10,000. The People Since violence began, more than 500,000 people have fled their homes. Many traveled to safer areas of the country while nearly 100,000 have crossed international borders as refugees (most to neighboring Uganda). It’s estimated that due to insecurity humanitarian organizations have so far been able to reach less than half of those in need of assistance as a result of the conflict. As violence tends to do, families have been split up by the fighting. Children have lost their parents, separated as they’ve fled the violence. Some children have arrived at refugee camps unaccompanied, while other children have been forcibly recruited to fight. ARC Responding In Sudan: Early this week, ARC began returning members of our international staff to Juba, South Sudan’s capital. At the height of the violence, we were forced to evacuate our international staff from Juba.  However our field offices were able to continue providing communities with critical services, although at a diminished capacity. With our international staff back in the country, we are returning to full strength by replenishing our field offices with relief supplies, lifesaving medicines and more. Our team is collaborating with partner organizations to help people inside South Sudan who’ve been affected by the violence. In Uganda: Meanwhile, our team is also mobilizing to help South Sudanese who fled to Uganda – particularly vulnerable groups like children separated from their parents and female-headed households. South Sudanese refugees are likely to stay in Uganda for at least several weeks until they are convinced it is safe to return home. They need shelter, emergency food rations and medicine, counseling to begin to process what they’ve experienced, and protection to prevent any further violence against women and children. Here’s the latest news from South Sudan: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25864164 *Giving*    At the request of readers, I always include these links so they’re easy to find when you need them. Thanks so much. Become a Monthly Donor (January is a great time): http://www.ARCrelief.org/givemonthly Donate Online: http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate Give Us a Call: (800) 875-7060 Send in a gift: American Refugee Committee Donor Service Center P.O. Box 1002 Minneapolis, MN 55480-1002 USA *Engage*  We're sharing photos, video and stories on social media. Join the conversation. Friend us! --- http://www.Facebook.com/arcrelief Follow us! --- http://www.twitter.com/arcrelief Subscribe! --- http://www.youtube.com/chriskatarc Check us out! --- http://www.instagram.com/arcrelief

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Inside ARC - 1.9.14 - Thanks, South Sudan and Typhoon

Hi jay, Happy New Year! Here is my first update of 2014 from ARC. Let us know if you have any questions. -Daniel Daniel Wordsworth, President ***********************************************  *Thank You*   Thank you so much for supporting ARC in 2013! Without the support of people like you, we couldn’t respond when people need us most. Here’s a little thank you from some of our staff around the world: Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we reached all of our fundraising goals for December! If you didn’t get around to giving in 2013, there’s still time to give before our fiscal year ends on March 31. *Typhoon Relief Update* ARC has had an emergency response team on the ground in the Philippines since shortly after the typhoon hit. We’ve provided emergency relief to thousands of families. We’ve also been focused on early recovery efforts, and we’re now launching a mobile sawmill project to help communities recover, families rebuild their homes and people begin working again. The typhoon damaged and destroyed homes and knocked over millions of coconut trees, leaving debris everywhere. Our work crews will hitch up sawmills and take them from village to village. Before decomposition begins, they’ll use the sawmills to convert downed coconut trees into beams, studs and planks local families can use to rebuild and repair their homes (without sawmills, communities would have to use much slower, much less efficient chainsaws). In addition to providing the lumber, our teams will provide families new materials and techniques they can use to make their homes better withstand the next storm. Stay tuned for more updates on typhoon relief. *South Sudan Violence* You may have seen South Sudan in the news recently. Violence has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the last few weeks. As a precaution, ARC evacuated all non-South Sudanese staff to neighboring Uganda. We hope to return those staff members to South Sudan as soon as this week. Most of the areas where ARC works have been only minimally affected by the conflict. Because most of our staff come from the local communities, they have been able to continue their work albeit in a diminished capacity. We are currently developing interventions to help families who’ve been affected by this outbreak of violence. Please stay tuned for more information on these efforts. *Giving*    At the request of readers, I always include these links so they’re easy to find when you need them. Thanks so much. Become a Monthly Donor (January is a great time): http://www.ARCrelief.org/givemonthly Donate Online: http://www.ARCrelief.org/donate Give Us a Call: (800) 875-7060 Send in a gift: American Refugee Committee Donor Service Center P.O. Box 1002 Minneapolis, MN 55480-1002 USA *Engage*  We're sharing photos, video and stories on social media. Join the conversation. Friend us! --- http://www.Facebook.com/arcrelief Follow us! --- http://www.twitter.com/arcrelief Subscribe! --- http://www.youtube.com/chriskatarc Check us out! --- http://www.instagram.com/arcrelief

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