A chance for Abraham to make a living in Uganda

In late 1999 Abraham made the hazardous journey to Kenya as a refugee in order to gain access to basic schooling. He lived in Kakuma Refugee Camp on the border of Sudan and Kenya. I contributed to school fees at this time while he has received support more latterly from a friend of his father’s. When the schools in Kakuma started closing due to repatriation of refugees back to Sudan following the peace deal in 2005 Abraham travelled to Uganda to continue his studies. We funded his secondary and college fees and Abraham successfully graduated with a business and accounting qualification..

Abraham dearly wants to contribute to his country’s development. The war in Sudan went on for more than 20 years and included the use of Russian-made combat helicopters and military cargo planes which were used as bombers to devastating effect on villages and tribal rebels alike. I also experienced this type of bombing attack while living in Panyagor . Sudan's history has been dominated by chronic, exceptionally cruel warfare that has starkly divided the country on racial, religious, and regional grounds. The war has displaced an estimated four million people (of a total estimated population of thirty-two million); and killed an estimated two million people. It has damaged Sudan's economy and led to food shortages, resulting in starvation and malnutrition. The lack of investment during this time, particularly in the south, meant a generation lost access to basic health services, education, and jobs. A January 2005 peace agreement ended decades of civil war in Southern Sudan, creating a historic opportunity to remedy the desperate situation there. However there continues to be widespread fighting and a famine has now been announced. Southern Sudan has missed out on basic infrastructure and services due to the war leaving the majority of the population uneducated, non literate and lacking access to health care and other social services. Abraham continues to live in Uganda in the refugee camps.