17 Mar
What followed was the donation of a Mantis prototype – now playing a small part in something much bigger.
Introducing New Jerusalem Family Homes
New Jerusalem Family Homes is a faith-based community in Aweil, South Sudan, founded by Daniel and Monica Claughton. What began as a simple response to the needs of vulnerable children on the streets has grown into a home for around 100 children, supported by a dedicated local team.
Daniel, a GP from Australia, and his wife Monica, who was born in Sudan and spent years in refugee camps before moving to Australia, made the decision to leave behind their life and businesses to return to South Sudan. Since arriving, Monica began connecting with homeless children in the community, providing food, care, and support. Over time, their commitment was recognised, and they were granted permission to become guardians, creating not just a facility, but a family environment for the children.
Today, New Jerusalem Family Homes provides not only a safe place to live, but also access to education through an on-site kindergarten and primary school, supporting both the children in their care and others from the local community. Alongside this, they are developing agricultural initiatives, including crops such as peanuts and rice, to help provide food and build long-term sustainability.
With a focus on care, education, and community development, the organisation continues to work towards building a stronger future for both the children and the wider community in Aweil.
A Growing Mission, and a New Challenge
As New Jerusalem Family Homes continued to grow in Aweil, South Sudan, so did the scale of what Daniel and Monica were building. To support their expanding community, they organised the shipment of three 40-foot containers filled with humanitarian supplies, equipment, and agricultural machinery from Australia.
These containers carried critical resources - from tools and equipment to support their farming initiatives, through to supplies that would help improve daily life for the children and wider community. With more containers planned for the future, this was an important step in strengthening the long-term sustainability of their work.
However, once the containers arrived, a major challenge remained: how to safely offload them without access to heavy handling equipment and access the supplies the community was depending on. In Aweil, options like crane hire are not only costly, but also difficult to coordinate and unreliable.
To move forward, the team needed a practical, self-sufficient solution that would allow them to unload containers safely and consistently, without depending on external equipment or infrastructure.
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A Practical Solution, Ready for a New Purpose
After learning about the challenges Daniel and Monica faced, the Bison team saw an opportunity to help in a meaningful way. Rather than offering a conventional solution, the decision was made to give the prototype a new purpose. We donated our Mantis prototype – a C-Lift ready for a new chapter – along with a custom skid, chain hoists, and accessories to create a complete container lifting system.
Originally developed as a test unit, the Mantis was built to demonstrate what’s possible with mobile container handling. Now, it has taken on a far greater purpose. Packed into the containers and shipped alongside the humanitarian supplies, the system travelled with the equipment it would ultimately help unload.
Once in Aweil, the Mantis provides the team at New Jerusalem Family Homes with a practical and reliable way to safely lift and offload containers, without relying on cranes or heavy machinery that are difficult to access in remote locations. It gives them the ability to operate independently, ensuring that future shipments of equipment, supplies, and resources can be received and put to use as soon as they arrive.
When the containers were finally grounded in Aweil, there was cheering, clapping, and excitement as the supplies they had been waiting for finally arrived safely.
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"Seeing the C-Lift here in person, we were struck by the incredible workmanship. It is clearly something made with great skill and care. For us, it is far more than a piece of equipment; it is a gift that will help us build and grow here for many years to come."
- Daniel Claughton, Owner of New Jerusalem Family Homes
Support New Jerusalem Family Homes
The work happening in Aweil is ongoing, and support from around the world continues to make a real difference.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Account Name: His Harvest Ltd
BSB: 062643
Account Number: 10109529
SWIFT Code: CTBAAU2S
Donations over $2 are tax-deductible in Australia. Kindly include your name as the reference and email your details to [email protected] to receive a donation receipt.
Learn More About the Mantis and Other C-Lifts
The Mantis is part of Bison’s C-Lift range, designed to provide practical, mobile container lifting solutions across a range of applications. There are five different models with lift capacities ranging from 22,000 lbs to 88,000 lbs. Contact us if you would like advice on which model is best suited to your needs.
