By KATHLEEN BELSTEN
THIS is a modern fairytale, a story of hope for an underdeveloped
country, in which South Sudan is Cinderella and Stella Lado and her
newly formed foundation are the magical fairy godmothers.
The Greater Dandenong-based MamaLand Hope for Future Foundation
aims to help improve public education and health in the newly formed
country of South Sudan.
“Many of the people can’t read or write,” said Ms Lado, who
co-founded MamaLand last November. “You wouldn’t believe this, but they
do not even have a public library.”
MamaLand is raising money to buy books and other materials to send
to South Sudan. It hopes to establish an office in the capital, Juba,
and run training programs for women, teaching them to read and write.
“They will then start being self-sufficient instead of spending
all their time waiting for organisations [such as ours to help],” Ms Lado said.
It could cost up to $16,000 to set up office and transport goods
to South Sudan, a landlocked country in eastern central Africa, so
MamaLand will ask Oxfam and other large charity organisations to help
it find cheaper transport options.
They want as much of the money they raise as possible to be spent
on lowering the rate of maternal deaths at childbirth, and on improving
education facilities so children do not attend school in dilapidated
buildings.
Ms Lado grew up in Sudan before the country was split into Sudan
and South Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war. “At the time there
was the devastation of the war,” she said. “And it was further
neglected. Everyone just went away.”
Sudan had two civil wars, one starting in 1955 and another in
1983, before a peace agreement was signed in 2005. During the latter,
two million people were killed, four million were displaced and 600,000
fled the country. Ms Lado has family in South Sudan, including a
brother who is a doctor. Her most recent visit was in May.
“I would love to send books,” she said. “Science books, because
science is universal, and maths and English books; and exercise books
and pens, especially for kindergartens.”
The dozen passionate South Sudanese Australian women and
volunteers who comprise MamaLand have great hopes for the new nation.
They recently held a fundraiser to highlight its opportunities and
diverse communities through food, song and dance .
“I know the people struggle a lot,” Ms Lado said. “But if they go
to school, change their look on the world, their country will be a
better country.
“Even Cinderella went through a lot of difficulties, but she ended up as a princess.”
And all Cinderella needed was a lot of help from a fairy godmother.
Donate » to MamaLand. Contact Stella Lado on 0432 223 970 or email ladostella@yahoo.com.au
