South Sudan Medical Project
Established 2006

Heather Dorsey (Anchorage, Alaska) and Rachel Wolfe (Eugene, Oregon) first met on a trip to Gambella, Ethiopia in 2001. The premise of the trip was to help the refugees of South Sudan cope with one of Africa's longest civil wars; both Heather and Rachel later became nurses and returned to the same villages with supplies, medicine and the promise of hope. The South Sudan Medical project was built on a simple concept, to provide medicine and medical care where it is needed most and to assure donors that 100% of the supplies and financial contributions will make their way to the people of South Sudan. All efforts are 100% volunteer based.

In its short life span the project has treated more than 500 cases of malaria and saved hundreds of children from starvation and infectious disease. To date, most of the contributions have been in the form of expired (but useable) medical supplies and vitamins from Natural Pantry and Providence Hospital. Last year, with less then $2,000 in monetary donations, SSMP was able to deliver nearly a hundred thousand dollars worth of vital medicine, vitamins, and food  between between two clinics in Pagak and Maiwut South Sudan, making it one of, and arguably the most, successful of any organization in the region since the end of the 25 year civil war. All of it is built on the backs of two young women with a simple desire to help people.

The project, although young, has already garnered the support of native authorities, which is critical for building future infrastructure. Other organizations have problems communicating with the local populations, offering food but no medical supplies or staffing their operations with citizens of Kenya or tribes with whom the locals do not get along. This creates conflict and distrust - and is the reason why many well-intentioned organizations have trouble delivering vital aid. Colonel Kuach Deng of the Southern Sudanese Army as well as the governor of the Maiwut region Gatouak Reik have provided essential local cooperation and have vowed to continue to do so this coming year.

In time the South Sudan Medical Project aims to build a rural hospital and house specialists from around the world who wish to donate time and expertise to rebuilding a society broken by British occupation and a very recent civil war. The horizon for the SSMP is self sustainability. There is no reason Sudan should not be a prosperous country with healthy people and the basic inherent human rights we all posess. It is rich in natural resources, one of the fastest growing economies on the planet, and wiser for its past. Each small step forward brings hope to the project, but more importantly it brings hope to a people who once thought the world did not care.

If you'd like a closer look at what we do and how we do it, check out Heather's flickr page.