The Central African Republic (C.A.R.) has collapsed into a period of complete social mayhem. Months of political instability and terrorist rule have sent tens of thousands fleeing for their lives.
The infrastructure of local governments has all but disappeared under the violent pressure of the Seleka, a major rebel alliance responsible for scores of deaths throughout the state. Hundreds of hospitals, schools, and other official buildings have been seized by the group to be used as headquarters or temporary prisons.
The Seleka, and other independent groups, have left a merciless trail of murder, rape, and destruction behind them—mostly targeting rural villages. These unpredictable attacks make a mockery of human rights and have turned the C.A.R. into one pulsating nerve. Today, thousands of families have taken shelter in the bush, miles from their villages, too afraid to return home.
With little governmental organization, public facilities across the country are sparsely staffed. Schools and medical clinics have simply stopped operating. More than 650,000 children no longer attend school, and those with urgent medical needs are doing anything they can just to survive. Water and food shortages have become the routine of everyday life.
The C.A.R. is undergoing a humanitarian crisis of heinous proportions, and every resident has suffered.
World Help’s national partner has expressed the growing security concerns for the children residing at our compound, Irene’s Home of Hope. What little is left of the public school system has become completely unreliable, leaving our partner with no choice but to enroll these children into a private education system.
As a needed precaution, World Help is also assisting our partner in building a perimeter safety wall around the Home of Hope facility. Because of skyrocketing food prices, nutritional needs have also been a concern. As of now, the monthly support these children receive through sponsorship is simply not enough to meet the impossible demands of local markets.
However, Irene’s Home of Hope owns five acres of uncultivated land only a few miles from the complex. With the purchase of proper tools, the children’s home can begin to work this area for sustainable food production. As the situation in the C.A.R. continues to deteriorate, we cannot begin these projects soon enough.
Please consider how you can support the children and families impacted by the ongoing crises in the C.A.R. Above all, your prayers are needed desperately. The tensions in central Africa are complex and multifaceted—political breakthroughs are rare, and the toll on civilians is extreme. Major developments are needed immediately to prevent further heartache and death. However unlikely progress may seem, we believe wholeheartedly that prayer changes things.
Additionally, your gift of any amount will go directly to protect and support the children at Irene’s Home of Hope. Funds are urgently needed to begin construction on the compound’s perimeter wall as well as the agricultural cultivation of the home’s five-acre property. World Help ensures the best possible care to every child in our sponsorship program, and we know you feel the same way.
In a nation aching and vulnerable, your involvement will be felt deeply by the children at Irene’s Home of Hope. Thank you for helping us respond to this heartbreaking need.
