Last Week in Juba

Dear all,

We are now in our last week in Juba. Since my last email myself and the Provincial Education and Training Commission held a workshop for Malakal and Renk Diocese. Main topics were School Building and School Running and HIV/AIDs. It went well, it was particularly nice for me to see people I haven’t seen for a long time and introducing them to Thea. Hopefully both Diocese’ will take away with them ideas and advice from each other on how they can improve their work in these areas. (see picture of workshop)

Simon took a break from his work with the Ministry of Health to do an evaluation of some CMS Ireland programmes running in Yei, Lanyia, Rokon and Kajo Keji, mainly in health and micro finance. He really enjoyed getting out of town and seeing other parts of Sudan, I always thought of Sudan as cracked earth and scorching sun but where he went he said was lush and green and he even needed a blanket for bed!

I visited Malakal for 4 days to see the Diocese and discuss next years school building proposal to Christian Aid. While we were there an almighty storm whipped up and rain and mud were being propelled at some speed. We hunkered down in the Bishop’s office, at one point it the walls felt like they were going to start falling apart and there was a point at which I was sure the roof was about to go but instead the storm took the roof off the Diocesan clinic next to us and some of Malakal Primary schools verandas were also badly damaged. (see picture of the roof off the church clinic). We waded through water and mud to move all the boxes of medicine and medical equipment to somewhere dry but I think some of it might now not be usable. Many people’s huts were very badly damaged which was upsetting to see
People were very unhappy with me that I hadn’t taken Thea but with the incredible heat, no electric, the sheer number of mosquitoes due to the rains I was glad she wasn’t there.

I’m just finishing up my work with the Provincial Education Finance team. (see picture of Thea with Rahila from the finance team). The team work with 10 donors pushing out school building and teacher training programmes across the whole of Sudan, there’s so much do cover with them but never enough time.

Be in touch again soon, Keren, Simon and Thea x

Juba

Dear All
The three of us have been in Juba just over a month now and loving it.

Juba is the southern Capital of South Sudan which is currently operating like a state in waiting. During the civil war it was a garrison town occupied by SAF, the armed forces of the northern government. It was handed over to the south through the 2005 peace agreement and now the Government of South Sudan is based here as well many UN agencies and NGO’s.

We are living in a hotel; a hotel here means a one room porta-cabin with running water, electric and the all important air conditioning unit. Far more than we ever had in Malakal but it’s made juggling work and looking after Thea in this environment possible. Thea has adapted better than we could have expected, although she’s rarely outdoors at the hottest time of day when she is out she seems to cope with the heat remarkably well. People love her and make a huge fuss of her and she practically gets mobbed when I’ve taken her on the streets in the buggy through the mud (our oversized off-roader buggy has really come into its own here!). I’ve been told by a few women that Thea’s very fat baby for 10 months and that she’ll be very fat when she’s older (this is a complement – I think!). Shes absolutely loving all attention of being unique in her status as only English baby in the city.

I’m working with the Episcopal church’s Education Commission each morning and from our cabin in the afternoons as well as assisting via the phone and visits next month to Malakal and Renk Diocese. This is all project and financial management assistance to their school building and teacher training progammes. The school building programmes have faced the usual myriad of problems, inflation of materials prices due to exchange fluctuations, unexpected classroom repairs after strong winds blew off roofs and rains destroyed mud walls which all needed the repairing so the money that was meant for furniture water pumps and teachers residences had to be turned to repairs instead. Fighting also broke out in Malakal Diocese last week and has been sporadically for over a year, a reminder of the fragile nature of peace here.

And here in Juba you can just as easily be reminded that you’re still in a post war environment as last Wednesday we were stopped from leaving the hotel by the army who were going door to door all over the city doing a weapons sweep and found a fair few on the premises here so we know not to rub any one up the wrong way!

That’s it for now,

Keren, Simon and Thea