A South Sudanese student, Betty Asha who went to the United States on a student visa, has raised funds and donated food supplies to poverty-stricken South Sudanese refugees in Uganda’s refugee camps.
Speaking to one of our correspondents on Monday, Betty pointed out that this is not the first she has made a charitable contribution to helpless people.
She also revealed that she practically participated in a rescue mission in 2016 and was able to save more than 2,000 people and adopted vulnerable children who had lost their parents during the conflict.
“This is not the first time I’m have helped people. In the 2016 civil war, in South Sudan, I rescued 2,296 people from an active war zone and I ended up with 3 adopted daughters who lost their parents at that time,” she said.
Betty recounts that she always feels sympathetic to others, especially when they are in a very bad situation.
“It is not a new idea to me, I always think of helping others. I’m a soft-hearted person. I feel other people’s pain more than my own pain that is who I’m,” she stated.
She called on the country’s leaders to choose peace over conflicts and steer the country in the right direction.
“According to what I have personally seen from my motherland, Africa and South Sudan in particular and compared to some of the countries outside Africa, I learned that we can be successful just like any other successful countries in the world if only we can stop wars.”
She explained that prioritizing peace is of the utmost importance.
“Peace is the key to success and peace has to start from home, from the hearts of the individuals leading. My message to Africa leaders is peace. There is nothing we can do without peace. Secondly, there is no government without people; citizens have to be taken care of and they will be the ones to build the leadership of a country by what they do for their government.”
Betty had to obtain permission from the Ugandan authorities as refugees are not allowed to receive food items from an unauthorized giver.
“The positive impact, ‘is the lives we have saved’ that would have probably been lost to starvations. Secondly, I learned that people see love and care from the little things we do to the community. What I did was extremely strange that most people got freaked out specifically the community leaders and I had to seek permission from the office of the prime minister of Uganda and the UN representatives why because they have never seen anything of that kind from an individual.”
“If we can show love and care for one another regardless of their tribes, we will be ambassadors of peace and our children will grow up knowing that we care about one another. In summary, the impact is lives were saved, unity was exhibited and lessons were learned.”
Original Article was written by The South Sudan Herald