KomKan African Institute South Sudanese COVID-19 Response Strategy

The Cause

The majority of the roughly 16,000 South Sudanese in the Calgary area came from a life-long ordeal as refugees living in camps, as child soldiers, and as people who fled for their lives, carrying with them a heavy burden of trauma that is still being passed on to their children.
Culturally, South Sudanese are a strongly collectivist community with deep and habitual social connections and shared practices.
Many South Sudanese are employed in the meatpacking plants in high River and Brooks, which combined to produce more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19.
Observations confirm that many South Sudanese households are not observing social distancing and other recommended precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. Nonessential movement of community members going for visits without respecting physical distancing has not abated.
Many South Sudanese do not speak, read or write English very well, and there are at least seven different African languages spoken within the South Sudanese Community. As a result, public health messaging is often not getting through.
Upwards of 90% of South Sudanese are living in Poverty and over crowded housing.
The concept is to Build a team of Sudanese professionals and volunteers to bring the community together.

Who Will it Benefit?

The majority of the roughly 16,000 South Sudanese in the Calgary area came from a life- long ordeal as refugees living in camps, as child soldiers, and as people who fled for their lives, carrying with them a heavy burden of trauma that is still being passed on to their children.

Many South Sudanese are employed in the meatpacking plants in High River and Brooks, which combined to produce more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19.

Additionally this will benefit the Calgary community as a whole, lifting a marginalized community out of the issues of health, poverty, and food security