- Sudan is the largest country in Africa, with south Sudan comprising more than half of the land
(Bahr-el- Ghazel, Equatoria and Upper Nile regions)
- Major ethnic groups: the Dinka, the Nuer, the Azande, the Bari speaking, the Otuho-speaking, the Toposa-speaking, Luo-speaking and the Maban-speaking
- Official language: Arabic, while many in the south prefer to speak English
- Illiteracy rate: 85% (especially high in the south)
- Racial demographics: 52% blacks, 39% Arabs and 9% others
- Religious affiliation: 65% Muslims, 24% Christian, 11% indigenous beliefs (southern Sudan is 95% Christian)
After independence from British and Egyptian control in 1956, northern efforts to expand the Muslim faith led to a civil war between Arab northerners and non-Arab southerners that lasted for almost half a century. Millions of people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced internally or as refugees in East and Central Africa. An unspecified number of southerners remained in southern Sudan lacking social amenities such as schools, hospitals, infrastructure and inability or inaccessibility to any means of production. Many young children grew up without education, which drove many young boys to become child soldiers in both government and liberation armies. Many girls entered into early marriages curtailing their potentials as well.
Many southern Sudanese fled to Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya, beginning with the famous journey of the Lost Boys in the early 1990s. With the collaboration of UN and the Kenyan government, Kakuma Refugee Camp was established in the remote Turkana district in northern Kenya in August 1992. The camp has expanded greatly over the years, becoming home to over 100,000 refugees today and has drawn on the support of many non-government organizations. The UN, Kenyan government and NGO partnerships help alleviate suffering for the people by providing food, water, health facilities, security, primary and secondary education. However, higher education and other training initiatives for church and community leaders are dependent upon efforts such as the GSLTP.
Approximately 70% of refugees at Kakuma are Sudanese while the remaining population consists of Somalis, Ethiopians, Congolese, Rwandans, Ugandans, Burundians and Eritreans. Though Christianity and Islam are the two dominant religions in the camp, the majority are Christians. Among the denominations, Episcopal Church of the Sudan has the largest number of followers in the Sudanese community.
