A young Sudanese Univeristy student has helped start a nationwide charity, running events and raising money in tandem with Anglican Aid to support people suffering the effects of civil conflict in South Sudan.

Apajok Biar, who was herself born in a Kenyan refugee camp before arriving in Australia with her parents at the age of two, says she came up with the idea after speaking to other Sudanese friends about what was happening in their home country.

“One of my friends, a Sudanese youth who has also grown up in Australia, saw what was going on back home on TV, and she called me and asked what I thought we could do,” Ms Biar says.
”We came up with the idea of doing a fundraiser and sending money to give aid to those who need it... It took about a month to be registered as a non-profit organisation in NSW, get fundraising certificates and so forth, but we did all that and started running events, which we organised through contacting friends in other states over social media.”

The charity, called South Sudan Voices of Salvation, ran its first event at St Phillip’s, Caringbah, Ms Biar’s home church, in March.

“It was great,” Ms Biar says. “All the support and help I got from my St Phillip’s family was really great, as well as having people from other churches I’ve been at being involved as well. All sorts of people came, I think around 250, which was really surprising to me. Being able to raise awareness, pray for people back home and raise money was really important, I think.

“The civil war back in 1991, which affected me and my family personally, is a lot like what’s happening now, so my aunty and some others got up at the event and told their stories from back then.”
The charity has, through Ms Biar’s contacts around the country, spread to other Australian capitals, with more events planned in the near future. The first set of events raised more than $7000, which will be invested in development works and emergency relief to those displaced in South Sudan.

“Since March we’ve been getting a lot of donations through our online website, as well as the Canberra team running a barbecue BBQ down there, which raised over $800,” Ms Biar says. “They’re looking to use some of that money to run a bigger event there, a concert and awareness evening. In early July the Queensland team and Western Australian team are looking to run an event as well, and in late June something similar will be running in Melbourne and Adelaide.”

The immediate objective for the fledgling charity will be to support, with Anglican Aid and its link organisations in South Sudan, around 60,000 people displaced within the Lakes state, with many locals stranded on the other side of the Nile without food and shelter after fleeing their homes around the town of Bor late last year in fear of armed anti-government militias.

Feature photo: Sudanese Australian youth at a recent Voices of Salvation charity event in Canberra.