Juba Leper Colony

Sudan’s lepers were rounded up and brought to a remote spot in Juba where the authorities planned to bury them alive. Fortunately, a Catholic Bishop heard about the plot and intervened. The lepers were allowed to live, but were confined to a secluded colony, cut off from the outside world, where priests took charge of their daily needs.

The inhabitants of the Rokwe colony have become dependant on charity for their survival.

In May 2008, SCIAF’s Africa Manager, Deborah Livingstone, and Sudan Programme Manager, Alice Ligunya, visited the lepers with the Brothers of St Martin de Porres. Alice was shocked by what she saw.

“The situation on the ground was devastating as the people were totally helpless and so much needed to be done”, she explained.

“The lepers have been badly neglected and do not get any help from the government. They have been receiving assistance from well wishers which is hardly enough.

“The fact that they have been segregated for a long time has been a great cause for concern as they believe they are unwanted or forgotten. However, they have needs like any other human beings.”

The archdiocese of Juba provides the lepers with spiritual nourishment and has built a church within the colony where the catechist doubles up as a counsellor for the congregation. But the lepers are in constant need of medicine. There is also an urgent need for water and housing. The water supply for the entire community comes from a single borehole and many people have been left homeless as their grass thatched houses (tukulus) have been washed away by the rains.

Education is also an issue. The school which the community had been using is now completely destroyed and the teachers have long since left. The older children have been relocated to neighbouring schools which are quite a distance away and the younger children no longer go to school at all.

Following her visit, Alice teamed up with SCIAF’s partners CAFOD and Sudan Aid to discuss what could be done to make life easier for the lepers. Working together, they collected household kits, containing blankets, basins, sleeping mats, and mosquito nets.

On July 11, Alice returned to the colony to help distribute a total of 481 mosquito nets, 400 cooking pans, 400 sleeping mats, 400 blankets and 400 jerry cans for carrying water.

She said: “In unity is strength and in partnership and collaboration we can always reach the sun.

“Had SCIAF not come together for consultations with CAFOD and Sudan Aid, we may not have been able to respond to the very immediate needs of the lepers.

“This may not have been a long term and sustaining venture but for me it is an eye opener to greater things we can do together in helping reach out to humanity in a holistic way.

“Many thanks go to CAFOD, Sudan Aid, the Brothers of St. Martin de Porres and to everyone who has shown an interest in assisting this community. A lot can be achieved in our work if we share, learn from one another and consult.”

The Brothers of Martin de Porres plan to improve life for the inhabitants of the Rokwe Leper Colony by building a new school for the children and a clinic to care for the sick.