The Brickworks is a charity that works alongside the church in the very needy nation of South Sudan, helping people to rebuild their lives after years of civil war. Many South Sudanese are now in refugee camps in Uganda due to insecurity and The Brickworks supports Dioceses with their work with refugees.
The challenges faced by the people of South Sudan are huge. They have had many years of little investment and still have some of the worst health statistics in the world. There’s very high maternal mortality, few homes have access to clean water or a latrine and many children die before their fifth birthday. UNICEF announced in 2016 that more teenage girls die in childbirth than finish secondary school.
The Brickworks supports the local church in discipleship, running a very busy health clinic, improving schools and training teachers and medics.
It also funds three under-tree schools in the camps, catering for over 3,500 primary school children living as refugees in Uganda.
The Brickworks is based in Bristol and has no paid staff. It is run by John and Poppy Spens (who are members of St Michael’s Church) and a Board of Trustees. John and Poppy try to visit South Sudan and Uganda once a year to check on progress and to understand the current needs and priorities. In doing this they meet all their own expenses so that everything given to The Brickworks can be put to work on these varied church projects.
Latest information sheet – 2023
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