Governor Philip Aguer: Join us in peace and development fundraising event for Jonglei
JOIN FUNDRAISING FOR JONGLEI STATE, PROMOTE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT
May 20, 2016 (SSB) — Insecurity and poor infrastructure in the rural areas in South Sudan pose a great threat to peace and development and consequently massive rural – urban migration and therefore overcrowding in Juba and underutilization of abundant resources in the rural areas.
It is on this rationale that the government of Jonglei state recently embarked on a daunting task of soliciting funds through fundraising campaigns a.k.a Harambees to generate money towards building infrastructure and establishing security networks in cooperation with the locals to open up for rural development
Even though there is a semblance of peace in the country, civil unrest between neighboring tribes particularly due to cattle rustling remains a major threat to peace at the grass root.
It is therefore imperative for individual state governments to marshal resources on their own to ensure security prevails. The government of Jonglei State therefore appeals to all residents and friends of Jonglei state including those in the Diaspora to embrace the logic of collective responsibility to help build and develop Jonglei and by extension other state in similar situation.
The problems facing residents of Jonglei are myriad and interconnected and therefore solving one offers solution for another. The government has prioritized on security in order to safeguard lives and discourage rural – urban migration and encourage rural investments especially in agriculture to help bolster food security. As a matter of fact, South Sudan depends on food imports from Kenya, Uganda and other neighboring countries and most locals’ crowds in urban centers and displacement camps with no major economic activities reducing to dependants on relatives in the Diaspora.
With improved security in the rural areas, most people would move back to the villages and participate in agriculture thus become economically independent and this would also see educational programs improve as children would be settled in similar locations.
Benefits associated with this initiative are innumerable; nevertheless, it is our humble appeal to all natives, friends and well-wishers to help join the “Harambee bandwagon for autonomy and betterment of Jonglei State as it is the unprecedented herald of peace and development.
It is worthy to note that this venture is not just a wild experiment peculiar to Jonglei State, it has been tried and tested elsewhere and yielded remarkable achievement.
The Republic of Kenya, which is a superior economy in East Africa, relied a lot on Harambees since independence to raise money for infrastructure, social amenities and welfare developments, a philosophy initiated by the founder president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and carried on by successive presidents.
To date, Harambees are synonymous with most church projects and students soliciting funds for further studies and this spirit of Harambee has not only promoted development but indeed has cemented national cohesion and integration as it is done across ethnic divide .
For certain, Harambee for Jonglei State is a bench mark for peace and development. So let’s together join the bandwagon. Your little contribution is all it takes. From a little corn does a great oak grow! Welcome all.
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