United Voice

A group from Whitford Church, which has centres in Mullaloo and Mindarie, first travelled to the southern Sudanese village of Patuet in 2006. The following year, a team of 10 volunteers built a community facility for the village which was used as a school, a clinic and a church.
Subsequent visits with a team of Perth doctors and medical workers in 2009 saw hundreds treated and locals trained in first aid skills so they could keep the facility running as a medical centre.

Unfortunately the future of the centre in Patuet is now under threat because the church is running out of funds and donations for medical supplies and to pay a member of staff to keep it going. 
The LHMU’s Samuel Riek, who was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, said the church community wanted to help the village help itself.
“Sudan has been at war with itself for more than 40 years. This was my father’s village and I wanted to be able to give something back to the people who live there.
“My father, my step mother and six brothers and four sisters were all killed in this devastating war and the younger generations growing up around villages like Patuet are still suffering because of it.
“Because of the difficulties in accessing these areas, education is very limited and basic medical care and provisions are practically non-existent.
“When we travelled out there earlier this year with a medical team, hundreds of people came from miles around to be treated and waited for hours for their check-ups. Many suffered with diseases and ailments that were very simple to treat and cure. But without this help they will suffer in discomfort and pain.”

Mr Riek first came to Australia as a refugee from the Sudanese civil war eight years ago and has become a community leader, working to assist members of the African community in WA with settlement support and to empower them to become active citizens.
In 2008 he won a multicultural community service award for his work with African groups, where he concentrated his efforts in overcoming local tensions between African and indigenous youth.
Through his work as a community organiser at the LHMU since April 2007, Mr Riek has implemented a program which has assisted about 100 African refugees into employment in various industries including hospitality, public health, education and aged care.
He said the church has ambitions to build a school, water wells, a solar farm for agricultural irrigation and to keep running a clinic at the village but the funds they’ve already raised are running out.
“The people of Patuet desperately need our help which is why we are widening our appeal outside of the church,” said Mr Riek.
“Already the lives of those in the village have been changed by our work there but we need to keep the momentum going to ensure they keep improving.”