Last week, I wrote about the violence growing around two of our anti-trafficking network partner locations: Our Father’s Cleft and Hope For South Sudan. I’m grateful to write that the fighting in both regions has been isolated and controlled.

 

All of our students and staff are safe and have felt your prayers lifting them up. The community is returning back to normal.

 

Because of the generosity of our partners, we were also able to quickly respond by offering emotional support and practical care to some of the displaced children and women in the Nuba Mountains who fled from the violence in their villages.

 

After the chaos ceased in Nuba, we learned that “tribalism” was invoked to disguise a coup to overthrow the current leader of the region.

 

This tribalism smoke screen is not a new tactic. It’s a tried-and-true method used to exploit fears and ignorance as it divides neighbors, creates chaos, and sets the stage for takeover by violent force. In moments of hate mongering, the most vulnerable are always forgotten or exploited as “casualties of war.”

 

This week, we wanted to offer a few resources and reflections as you dive deeper into the issues affecting the vulnerable living in conflict zones and how we can all benefit when we ask the important question: “Who Is My Neighbor?”

 

  • UNDERSTANDING TRIBALISM —

    What is tribalism? Where is it found? Is it a Sudan/South Sudan problem or a global issue? Follow the link to a NY Times article An African Chief Explains Tribalism to take a deeper dive into the good, the bad, and the confusion of tribalism.

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  • GENEROSITY IS KEY —

    LUV leads the only indigenously directed anti-trafficking network spanning Sudan and South Sudan. You help us protect and empower children and women from over 30 different tribes. This diverse network is one of LUV’s greatest strengths. Learn more about how generosity inspires our community.

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  • TODAY’S PEACEMAKERS — 

    In every conflict, you can find men and women driven by their faith and ready to risk their lives to lift up the most vulnerable. When you partner with LUV you equip and support over 160 local leaders and more than 1,600 students to be peacemakers and agents of change in their war-torn nations.

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  • WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? — 

    Recently, Rev. Lauran Bethell (LUV’s board member) shared about LUV’s ministry through the lens of Luke 10. She invites all of us to remember loving thy neighbor is risky business… and boundless compassion for the vulnerable and for our enemies is the Christ-way.

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At LUV, we envision a world where vulnerable children and women are empowered and, through them, war-torn communities are transformed. Join us.