The Hidong na Holong project was developed to help the Lopit people of Locaruk village, in South Sudan. On Tuesday 21st February, 2012, a devastating fire swept through Locaruk village in the Lopit Mountains of South Sudan, burning everything to the ground. In addition to the lives lost in the community, 5,000 Lopit people have lost their homes and all their possessions, and are in desperate need of clothing, shelter and food. The people of Locaruk appealed to family and friends overseas for urgent help, and members of the Lopit community in Melbourne sought ways to provide assistance. They have been fortunate to connect with Pauline Crosbie of Bumblebee Global Renewal Projects/Koala Spirit, who is experienced in developing social enterprises that sustain and empower communities around the world. From this connection, the Hidong na Holong Lopit Community Development project was born. Hidong na Holong means ‘sunrise’ in the Lopit language, and captures this project’s aim to bring a ‘new day’ to Locaruk.
This project has multiple goals. The first is to provide the Lopit people of Locaruk with the things they need most urgently in order to survive. To do this, we are organising for a shipping container to be sent from Melbourne to the Lopit Mountains in South Sudan. Through the generosity of the local community we aim for the container to be filled with clothing, bedding, medical supplies, food, seed for crops, shoes, tools, cooking implements, and other essential items. The container will be painted by the Lopit people in Melbourne with the help of the wider community as a colourful symbol of hope and of the good wishes being sent with the container. Once the container arrives, it can also be used as a shelter, and can then be integrated into the re-building process in Locaruk.
Additionally, the project aims to set in place ways of providing long-term support to the Lopit communities in South Sudan and in Melbourne through the development of sustainable cottage industries, such as craft or cookery. These industries will draw on the unique skills of the Lopit people and be a means of raising funds to support the initial relief efforts, but more importantly, they will be a way of continuing the support in the long-term, while empowering the communities involved. For more information on the project, see How You Can Help, and refer to the Bumblebee web page for information on other Bumblebee projects.
Hidong na Holong 