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Sudanese Ministries
3500 Start a New Life
In San Diego, we have almost 3500 Sudanese refugees settled mainly in City Heights, North Park, Linda Vista, El Cajon, and Chula Vista. These Sudanese are members of several tribes, mainly comprised of the Dinka, Nuer, Bari and Equatorial tribal areas of the Sudan.
The Refugee Network supports Sudanese (and recently, Burmese) refugees as they arrive under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), the U.S. Department of State and the receiving agencies. Coordinating this effort is the St. Luke’s-based Refugee Network which is managed by a Board of fourteen volunteer members from several churches in the San Diego Episcopal Diocese. Dr. John McLevie, from St. Andrew’s Encinitas is the Chairman of the Board. The Rev. Paul is a recent appointment to the Board and the only clergy member in our Diocese who is also a refugee from Sudan.
The Network helps the new arrivals to register for food stamps, Social Security, school enrollment, medical enrollments, driver’s licenses, finding jobs, and classes in English, health and hygiene. We supply furniture, household goods, bedding, and clothing for the cooler months of the year. Important parts of the program are the provision of household goods and furniture to arriving families.
Our group of Sudanese refugees can be separated into three main categories:
- 1) Almost 50% are one-parent households and often include the children of killed or missing siblings
- 2) Complete families, often with additional children
- 3) Mostly single men, including 98 orphaned Lost Boys who lived in the Kakuma Refugee Camp
St. Luke’s Church provides its hall on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for their social activities. Small grants for buying books are available to the Lost Boys and to boys and girls from refugee families graduating from area high schools and studying at community and four-year colleges. We have an Education Scholarship fund to help young people from the Sudanese Community who gain entry to college or trade schools to buy textbooks each year. A recent addition to the Network is the tutoring program, which provides one-on-one tutoring to children ages 6-18, several days a week. In the space of a year, this group has increased from 8 to 48 students, with volunteers providing assistance in English, reading and math, as well as life skills.
Searching for One More:
This program is almost entirely dependent upon donations from Episcopalian supporters. Grants were available for several years after the Network was first established in 1995. Official policy now is “You must gain local support” and that is what the Network is trying to do. Neighbors are by definition, anyone who has a need you can fulfill. The Sudanese refugees are our neighbors in need. Please open your hearts, your time, and your wallets to this priceless and heart-warming ministry.
Sudanese Refugees & The Learning Center
Teaching is Contagious, by Canon Howard Smith
Compelling article by Canon Smith about The Learning Center in North Park.
The Learning Center Photo Gallery
To learn more, volunteer or donate to this great ministry, please visit their website or contact:
Dr. John G. McLevie
St. Andrew’s, Encinitas
1627 Mapleleaf Court
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 633-4445(619) 633-4449
