Some consequences of the pandemic are food shortages, more violence, more teenage pregnancies or the abandonment of more children, and Salesian Missions is fighting against this

Coronavirus causes millions of refugees to have to start from scratch

photo_camera Refugiados en Uganda huyen del conflicto en Sudán del Sur

"Hunger in the morning, hunger at noon and hunger at night. This is what millions of refugees suffer every day in the settlement," explain the Salesian missionaries working in Palabek, in northern Uganda. A settlement for people fleeing the war in Southern Sudan. More than 56,000 people who had found a safe place, where children went to school, young people were educated and were able to survive.

"Everything changed with the pandemic. No classes, no meetings, no activities for the young people... The quantities of food were reduced by 30% and the parents have no way of feeding their children," explains Ubaldino Andrade, a Salesian missionary in Palabek. "In addition, the children are abandoned because their parents have to go out every day to look for some food or money to eat. You see children alone, without adults to look after them and with nothing to do all day long", he adds.

The consequences of the coronavirus are not only seen in health. There is more stress, more violence, more teenage pregnancies, more alcoholism... "We have seen again people dressed in rags... We have gone back to work to give basic assistance: food, clothes, water, medicine... All the work done these years is gone. We have started again from scratch," warns Ubaldino.

Refugiados en Uganda huyen del conflicto en Sudán del Sur

At this point, Salesian Missions launches the 'Restart from scratch' campaign because the pandemic cannot leave 80 million refugees behind.

"And this reality is not only in Palabek, which was a refuge of hope for the refugees, as we saw in the documentary we released last year at this time. It is a reality for millions of refugees all over the world", explained Eusebio Muñoz, director of Salesian Missions. That is why, in order not to leave anyone behind in this health crisis, but also in this social and economic crisis, the campaign 'A new start' has been launched. 

More than 80 million refugees around the world are suffering the consequences of this pandemic: children without schooling, food and water shortages, lack of income, few opportunities for the future... However, Salesian Missions, together with Salesian missionaries, continue to stand by the people in the Kakuma camp (Kenya), with the internally displaced people in Gumbo and Tonj (Southern Sudan), in Peru with the Venezuelan migrants, in Turkey with refugees from Iraq or Afghanistan, in Lebanon with people fleeing from Syria...

"Starting over is always easier if we have people who help and encourage us to improve ourselves every day," Muñoz concludes.

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