SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
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Thank you!
Thank you to all those who attended the Southern Sudanese American Community Association fund-raiser Wednesday, July 22, at St. Mark Lutheran Church. The association is happy to have shared their Sudanese culture, music, food and history with neighbors. The group performed traditional dances, shared stories and presented about their nonprofit work in Anchorage. Bajek Deng, and several Sudanese families gathered with neighbors St. Mark Lutheran Church, 3230 Lake Otis Parkway July 22.
Bajek says he hopes people in Anchorage will get to know members of the group as their neighbors and will donate funds to help the group resurrect their ride-sharing service.
SSACA owns a van devoted to shuttling 15 families (with 4-9 children each) to work, grocery stores and health clinics. Right now, they are struggling to pay the auto insurance, repair the vehicle and fill it with gas regularly. It's a tremendous boon in the lives of the 15 families and Bajek hopes to get the shuttle going again. SSACA is also saving money in hopes of hiring a director soon. Please meet Bajek and others at the celebration fund-raiser, July 22.
For more information, contact Bajek Deng 907.720.6309,
e-mail bajekd@yahoo.com. View the invitation.
"We all go together."
Support the Southern Sudanese American Community Association
The Southern Sudanese American Community Association is a fledgling nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Sudanese refugees (and other African refugees) in Alaska who have made harrowing journeys to escape war and genocide in their homelands. About 1,000 refugees from Sudan have made their way to Anchorage, with the aim of working toward their dream of earning a livelihood for their families in a peaceful place.
They care for each other fiercely. Dobuol, Bajek, Panom (pictured) and others watch over each other’s children, help one another learn English and find jobs, adequate housing and transportation and organize resources.
“No one goes alone,” head organizer Bajek Deng said. “We all go together,” he added, explaining how the group aims to ensure that families thrive in their new community.
"If I support my people, they'll help each other. If I learn something new, I want to show them too," Bajek said. SSACA connects refugees with the tools to make a new home here in Alaska and to serve others with their skills, professions, culture and strong sense of community.
Update: Thank you!
TWO families move into new homes after duplex fire
Tor Gach’s home and Nyarep Yong's Valley of the Moon home burned down March 1 leaving their two large Sudanese families to start over: 17 people all together. Both families have found housing and thank you for supporting them with donations as they settle into their new homes. Their two families have been living in Anchorage since 1994 and now, they belong to SSACA, through which they aid newer refugees from Sudan and other parts of Africa as they build a new life in Anchorage.
Welcome new neighbors
Contribute tax-deductible funds through SSACA's account to pay for expensive rental deposits, gas, food and fees.
Donate:
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a FAMILY VAN to transport adults to jobs and children on family outings (or provide assistance securing vehicle insurance)
- GAS COUPONS and grocery store GIFT CARDS for new arrivals
- OFFICE SUPPLIES or help securing office space for the organization
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HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES like vacuum cleaners, irons, buckets, laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, diapers
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CLOTHING including coats, gloves, blankets, hats, socks, scarves and winter boots
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KITCHEN ITEMS such as cutting boards, knives, silverware, pots, pans and dishes
Be a liaison and a welcoming neighbor:
SSACA also advocates for the roughly 2.3 million Sudanese displaced by the civil war. The group shares their stories to raise awareness about the devastating use of children as soldiers, and also to fight against domestic violence everywhere.
Photos by Kelly DuFort
