Introduction from VNZF:
Graham finally departed Auckland for the southern Sudan on 23 March 2003 - 2 weeks later than expected, having removed the top off his finger in a nasty gardening accident! Not surprisingly communication from the Sudan (where there is no power and no telephone lines) has been difficult for Graham. But thanks to his wife Beverly-Anne, we’ve been able to track the following story of Graham.
“…I have now been in Africa for eight days, having arriving in Nairobi an hour later than expected at 1:00AM on Monday the 24th March (a severe thunderstorm knocked out 2 of the 3 runway sets of lights!) I spent an hour at Johannesburg airport waiting for the incoming traffic to land before flying onto Kenya. I watched the last two hours of the World Cup cricket final while at the airport terminal.
There was no one at the airport to meet me (the flight was so late, they had given up), so I checked-in at a small hotel near the guesthouse I was due to stay at. There was no running water so I went to bed at 3:00AM. Thankfully the water was sorted out the next day and I could have a bath.
I obtained a southern Sudanese visa on Monday and made it to the airport for the 7.10AM departure for Lockiechoggio then Paluer, my destination in Southern Sudan. I was the only passenger on the flight over desolate mountains, dry river courses and flat arid grasslands with widely scattered scrubland and trees.
Coming into Paluer was a real shock. The place was bare, almost desert-like with no crops growing and and little grass for the animals. The compound had also changed since my last trip in 2000 – with a smaller new cookhouse and eating room. The girls working on the compound were all new. Apparently the former girls had all moved off to get married. The cook was still there. She is such a lovely person and does a really good job feeding us.
The cat population had tripled to three cats but there were only 4 team members on the compound - 2 health trainers Willis and Betty (Kenyans who were there with me in 2000,) plus Zackaria.
Zackaria is the ACROSS Education Team Leader. I was lucky enough to observe and assist him for 2 days in one outlying community. Zackaria’s work has evolved significantly in the last 2 years. In Feb he held training programmes for the establishment of school PTA’s. The students requested he carry out village workshops with full participation of the community to Review the school development plan and prepare the parents and community Volunteers for the new school year commencing in May.
Whilst I was with Zackaria he made a wonderful meal of cooked corn and beans plus thin sorghum strips like Pancakes (absolutely delicious!) Unfortunately he wasn’t well during my time with him, so I took over the challenging job of driving the Toyota Land Cruiser back to base in Paluer over rough tracks.
The weather has been very humid with the first outbreaks of rain at night usually proceeded by violent winds. The tukels (comfortable huts) are very open to allow ventilation. They’re remarkably strong but I thought I was going to be blown away at times!
On the Thursday evening ACROSS medical and educational personnel got word that we had to leave Sudan. We were instructed by the SRRA (Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association, of the Southern Sudanese civil administration) that we had to leave by the end of the month and remain at Nairobi pending talks about our future in Bor County.
This demand was a devastating shock. Many of the people we’re helping were absolutely shattered and deeply upset. It seems the medical work is being criticized by one of the military leaders in the civil administration – who is saying that people are not getting enough access to medicines and drugs. ACROSS however have concentrated their efforts in training medical staff on 9-month long programmes, not the distribution of drugs to villagers. ACROSS simply don’t have the resources available to provide for the huge needs of the Southern Sudanese people’s total medical care. Let’s hope the SRRA come to their senses and overturn this decision. People in Bor country are desperate for help and I can’t imagine another NGO who could take over this far-reaching work.
I’ve spent only five days in total in Sudan, but it’s been a wonderful opportunity to meet up with a dozen or so teachers I helped to train in 2000 and witness the outstanding work that Zackaria, Stephen and the Education team have accomplished. Thankfully there is also a team of six highly trained supervisors who can carry forward the responsibility for education programme should we not get access to Bor again.
Good news! Pat Champion (the ACROSS administrator in Sudan) has had a promising meeting with a large international education provider (CARE) who is prepared to offer funding for the training of Principals and Senior teachers in Southern Sudan. With any luck I’ll be off to Yei in Equatoria or to Boma (a new base currently being established) to begin a new training programme in the next week or so. The community in Bor is especially desperate for a secondary school to be established in the area, so fingers crossed I’ll get there soon. Meantime I’m working on a Principal’s programme for the new regions.
Speak soon…Graham
Postcript:
International Human Rights and Relief organizations rate Sudan amongst the five countries in the world with the worst score on the Human Suffering Index in terms of the availability of clean drinking water, daily calorie intakes, education, political freedom, civil rights and life expectancy.
Sudan rates as having the highest level of suffering and the lowest level of freedom in the world. The country constantly faces civil war threats. The present cease-fire continues until June.
Graham
