Juba Alumni Provide Food Support at Children’s Hospital

(JUBA COUNTY) – Members of the Mahad Juba Al Elmi Alumni Association visited Al Sabah Children’s Hospital in Juba on Saturday, providing food and support to mothers and children who spent the Christmas holiday at the facility.

The visit formed part of a Christmas outreach programme aimed at assisting families who were unable to leave the hospital during the festive period. Many mothers remain at the hospital for extended periods while their children receive treatment, often with limited access to basic needs.

The head of the nursing department at Al Sabah Children’s Hospital, Catherine Manas, welcomed the group and said families face daily challenges while caring for hospitalised children. She explained that the hospital does not provide regular meals, apart from milk supplied through the malnutrition department.

Manas said some mothers stay at the hospital throughout the holiday period and rely on sharing food among themselves. She added that even small gestures of support can make a meaningful difference by helping families feel remembered and supported during difficult times.

Gismalah Abdallah Rihan, a finance officer of the alumni association, said the outreach focused on offering both moral and emotional support to families. He said the group wanted to understand the conditions faced by children suffering from different illnesses and to stand with their families during the Christmas period.

Rihan said the association distributed items such as water and sweets to bring some joy to the children and their mothers. He added that the visit marked the group’s first holiday outreach to a hospital and that similar visits are planned on a monthly or bimonthly basis.

The association’s spokesperson, Mariam Alhaj Baballa, said Al Sabah Hospital was selected because it specialises in paediatric care and serves vulnerable children from across Juba and beyond. She said celebrating Christmas in a hospital setting is emotionally difficult for families, particularly mothers caring for sick children.

Baballa said the association brought a simple holiday meal to help lift spirits and share a moment of joy with the families. She added that the visit was the association’s first humanitarian activity since its formation in July 2025.

She called on humanitarian organisations, businesses and government institutions to increase support to hospitals, pointing to ongoing shortages of food, medicine and other essential resources. Baballa said cases of child malnutrition reflect wider food challenges in South Sudan that require collective action.

Al Sabah Children’s Hospital treats children with a range of illnesses, including malnutrition, and many families depend on shared resources during their stay. The visit highlighted the role of community groups in supporting overstretched health facilities and addressing social needs alongside medical care.

Items distributed during the visit