Dear Friends,
This is Malik and Anker writing to you. In this month’s newsletter, we break down the ins and outs of housing in Juba, South Sudan.
We’re happy and proud to share that with the help of some wonderful volunteer artists, we successfully launched an art zine fundraising campaign on Givebutter to support the housing needs of our community in Juba, South Sudan.
You can find the queer art collection We Build a Home here, and you can support our community here on Givebutter. We hope you enjoy this little collection and continue supporting us!
We also realise that many people may be unfamiliar with how housing in South Sudan works, so we hope the following information is useful!
Ground rent - what’s that?
Simply put, it’s rent people pay for a plot of land itself. Most often, this plot of land comes bare, and people build their own houses on it. In rarer cases, you can also rent a house, but it’s much more expensive that way.
People who build their own houses get some money back when they move out to reimburse for building costs, and because the landlord will have a house to rent out in the future for higher prices.
This is also the system in certain parts of Gorom Refugee Camp, to encourage resettlement. Gorom Camp is different from Kakuma Camp in Kenya, in that it’s meant to be a temporary place, and refugees are expected to move on from there. While in Kakuma people get plots and houses assigned by the UNHCR, in Gorom, refugees often have to rent their plots of land and construct their own shelters.
What is included in $1800/month?
Ground rent is calculated based on how many people will be housed.
In our case, $1800 a month covers the ground rent to house 470+ LGBTQIA+ refugees and children. We reached this price after negotiations with the landlord in the fence we found.
What do you mean by fence?
A fence is a large fenced-in plot of land shared by multiple households. The one we found in Juba has brick walls and a gate. Some fences are made of metal sheets, which are easy to cut through and are therefore seen as less safe. A brick fence provides more safety for our community.
Other costs
Apart from the ground rent, there are of course other needs to be met.
For now, the house in Juba only has two rooms, housing 20 people. The rest of the community is currently sleeping outside, and while the fence provides some safety, I’m sure you can understand why this situation is unsustainable.
We need to build more rooms to be able to house the rest of the group. To do that, we need to raise funds for building materials.
Additionally, to improve comfort and prevent disease, we also need to build bathrooms on the plot, put up mosquito nets and buy more bedding.
Instability and inflation
Due to the political and military situation in South Sudan, people are generally experiencing insecurity. With less food reaching the markets, demands are high and supply is low. This drives high rates of inflation and ever rising prices, making South Sudan a more expensive place to live than Kenya.
Here’s how you can help
We are actively raising funds for housing the community in Juba, South Sudan. You can contribute here! Every donation makes a difference, no matter how small. If you can, we would really appreciate recurring donations. This makes it easier to plan and budget month to month.
Please consider forwarding our newsletter to others and help spread the word about our communities in Kenya and South Sudan. Reaching as many people as possible is our best hope to secure a future in dignity, safety and freedom for our community members.
With love and solidarity, in the name of our communities,
Malik and Anker