Harriet Dumba
Sudan/USA

“With my current visit to Kajo Keji, I meet young girls who got pregnant either by older counterparts or age-mates. None of them receive HIV testing or counseling because there are no facilities that are women friendly in the region.” 

On July 28 through August 1^st 2010, Hearts of Angels for Health Sudan Initiative (HAHS, http://www.hah-s.org) brought women from all around North America to Dallas, Texas to plan and work together to support those in South Sudan. The organization was established in 2002 to work in Kajo Keji, Torit, and Bor. This second annual Kajo Keji women’s training meeting built a foundation for women in the diaspora to start extending help to those in Sudan while working together as a community rather than as individuals.

Participants who had just returned from Sudan gave testimonies of the long suffering of those on the ground. Women’s health and education was an issue heavily discussed among those in Sudan and the diaspora. HIV/AIDS is of great concern given the business activities that take place around Kajo Keji County. According to the United Nations Development Program, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southern Sudan is believed to have moved into the “generalized phase … where infection has gone beyond high-risk groups into the general population.” This creates an alarm for Kajo Keji County. Development challenges in Kajo Keji and Southern Sudan in general are enormous, and the burden falls mostly on the women and young girls. HIV/AIDS education is minimal, though some of the factors contributing to the spread of the disease are clearly witnessed within the community.

With my current visit to Kajo Keji, I meet young girls who got pregnant either by older counterparts or age-mates. None of them receive HIV testing or counseling because there are no facilities that are women friendly in the region. Abortion rates are also reported as high, and many are performed by peers. The aftermath impact is excruciating. HAHS wishes to create a structural system where such victims are supported to hold onto their dreams by providing life skill programs.

Because we lack a place to coordinate such programs, the organization wants to construct a center that women can call home. We want to provide counseling, sanitation, education, and many other services. Our goal is to raise $50,000.00 by Dec 31^st 2010. The Kajo Keji women in the diaspora have already raised $2,600.00 towards this project. We are looking for companies or individuals to match these funds. All of the money raised will directly benefit the building of the women’s center.

I have made a commitment to this organization, and we cannot continue this work without help from friends like you. Donations are tax deductible. Please feel free to call me at (206) 679-7576 or email hpdumba1@gmail.com if you have any questions.

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Harriet Dumba is President and co-founder of HAH-S. She grew up in the rural village of Kajo Keji but was forced to flee to Uganda, then Kenya, and eventually the US. She is dedicated to bringing health, social justice, and peace to her homeland of Sudan.