Refugees, ICC and LRA...

The county of Sudan has been in the headlines a lot in the past month…refugees from DRC fleeing into South Sudan; more LRA attacks; and now the ICC has issued the arrest warrant for Bashir. It’s definitely an interesting time to be working in Sudan, and trying to get my head round all the politics and what it all means for the Continued Peace Agreement (CPA). At the moment things don’t look too promising.

Congolese refugees
The first influx of people from Aba, DRC into South Sudan was on 22 January 2009. The number registered was 1,959 people. These people remained at the border and were given food and NFIs by UNHCR. They believe it is safer near the border as the SPLA are around. Since then, there was a second, much larger influx of refugees which went further into South Sudan and settled at a school and church site which they could use for shelter, and there is also a borehole at the school.

Children registered by UNHCR

There are large number of children and pregnant women. UNHCR have registered around 5,900 refugees in total. It is believed that the reason for the fleeing was not due to an actual LRA attack. Rather it was due to fear of an LRA attack. The current security situation in North Congo is not good. The Congolese Army are reportedly doing very little to protect their people. When we have spoken to the local people, they say that they will not return until security is res-established in Aba.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7685235.stm

Congolese women cooking for her family

When I first went to the site of the refugees, it was hard to imagine how they could believe they were better off here in Sudan, sleeping under a tree, or with no shelter at all, rather than staying on Congo. Things must have been really bad back home for them. Despite all of this, the people are in good spirits though, and in good health. The children still smile and laugh (and run away in fear) when I offer them my hand to shake as a way of saying hello

Make-shift shelter

Clearly, the first priorities were water, sanitation, health and shelter. Without any of these, there would surely be an outbreak of disease. Together with UNHCR, Medair and MSF have worked to improve the situation for the refugees. Initially, emergency latrines and shelters were constructed by MSF, and the borehole was repaired at the school site, while plans were made by the Government and UNHCR to move the refugees to another location, where they could have their own plots of land to build their houses. Moving the refugees means that the school where they are currently residing in can be re-opened and the local Sudanese children can go to school again. It’s also one of the schools where Medair is doing two latrine blocks.

Medair completed their water system in the new camp on Monday, which is great. We’ve also been helping UNHCR and MSF to locate slabs so that latrines can begin to be constructed in the new camp. UNHCR are allocating plots on the new site for the refugees to build their houses, but don’t want people to actually move there yet without there being water and latrines at the camp. To try and encourage people not to move yet, people are not being given NFIs (non-food items) until they are moved permanently. They have, however, been given one month’s supply of food.

Measels campaign

Women moving their belongings to the new camp

ICC

Security is not so good though unfortunately. Yes, President Bashir has been indicted by the ICC, and yes, 13 International NGOs have been thrown out of North Sudan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7930829.stm

We’ve been told though that this will not have an impact on NGOs in Southern Sudan. Many of the people here are pleased with the outcome of the ICC. For years the people of South Sudan have been persecuted by the North, so there is very little sympathy with Bashir. However, what is more worrying is the impact the ruling of the ICC may have on the CPA (Continued Peace Agreement). There are many fears that the indictment may spark new tensions and fighting may erupt again. This begs the question as the whether the warrant for the arrest of President Bashir may do more harm than good.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
On top of all of this, there are the continued LRA attacks on the people of Southern Sudan. This past week, on Tuesday 3 March, and then on Friday 6 March the LRA attacked villages close to the town of Yei, where I am working currently. On Friday night, many people ran into Yei Town for safety. It was reported that nine LRA soldiers attacked a small village killing five people and reportedly abducting two children (although I believe now that the children ran away and have been found safe). We’re all safe here in Yei as the LRA are moving around in quite small fractured groups at the moment, so they are unlikely to be able to attack large groups of people. It has caused quite a bit of tension and unsettlement, with many people worried of another attack.

Unfortunately this will also impact our movements to the DRC refugees as it is close to the border with Congo. Many of the refugees are scared that they are going to be attacked by the LRA and are saying they would prefer to die in Congo rather than Sudan. It’s all very sad. It’s a privilege though to work with the people of DRC. The women have the most amazing hairstyles, very beautiful – and they even tried to do my hair in the same way, didn’t look quiet so beautiful though.

South Sudan...some photos...

I know, I know! I've been really bad at updating this...must try harder!

So this is my first post after joining Medair in South Sudan. I'm currently in Central Equitoria trying to construct latrine blocks in schools. I've posted some photos of the schools we visited during our assessment of the schools...

Teaching under a temporary shelter...ok in the dry season,

not so good when it begins to rain, I expect...

neither would this...teaching under the trees...

or this tent...

but what other choice do these children have if they want to learn...

and they always have a smile on their faces...

And some of the latrines we've constructed...

I thank God every day for the fantastic contractors we've got...not that every day doesn't bring it's problems and frustrations...but each day is differenct and is never without its smiles, laughs and new experiences...

Generally, the safest and fastest way in and out of the field.

Kids are so creative...this truck is made from an old powdered

milk tin...all over the world children like to pull something behind

them...Sudan is definitely no exception!

one of the main roads within the market

being able to carry water on your head takes years of training...

never really played volleyball...now I love it...but i'm

still pretty rubbish...

A story to make you smile...and cry...

Was out in the field today. Always love visiting the communities we’re working in. It’s the best part of the job for me.

Today I heard a really lovely story, but kinda sad as you realise how hard life is for people here…

We’re doing a school latrine in ten of our communities. We are paying them to dig, but not enough, so we ask the communities to pay the extra as part of their contribution. In one of the communities we’re working in, one man, Agwere, is digging the latrine. This is hard work. Really hard work, and I wish for a JCB so often! Anyway, his wife was critically sick. The nearest hospital is about 1 ½ hours away in Renk. So he took her to hospital. But had no money to pay for the medicine she urgently needed. So, Bol, one of the other members of the same community sold three bags of Sorghum and gave the money to Agwere to pay for the medicine his wife needed. Bol said it was because Agwere was digging the latrine for the community and helping his people.

Hearing this nearly made me cry. I spend so much of my time struggling to get the communities to contribute to the work we do. It’s constant nagging and pushing, which is hard work, stressful and generally delays the programme. But we know it’s for the best as the communities appreciate what we do more and makes the final output more sustainable. Today though, I saw things differently. It was good for me to hear this story. It made me both sad and happy. I saw how communities do pull together, do help each other and do contribute in other ways that I may not see. Yet it also reminded me how fragile life is for these people and how death is second-nature to many of them. Nearly every family I meet would have at least one child who would have died. Life is tough for these people and it’s all too easy for me to loose site of this when all I see is my objectives and outputs that I must produce by a certain time. I pray God forgives me for my selfishness and continues to use me to work with His people, despite me.

Full swing

Yes, I know. I'm so bad at updating this. No excuses. I'm just sorry.

So, i've been back now for nearly two months and it feels like I never left. Which is good as everything is familiar. I can't walk to the Souk (market) without people greeting me and saying hello (so it can take a while to get what i wanted from the market). But I love it. It's nice to know people and feel you belong - even though I know I never will.

Work is going ok. Trying to do about 300 household latrines, and 600 sandfilters, and a large hafir sandfilter, and four institutional latrines (finished four in the middle of January), and hopefully start drilling and installing some handpumps! The exciting thing is seeing communities do things for themselves. I'm a big supporter of community contribution, and although it takes longer, it has better benefits, i believe, as the communities look after what we give them. For example, sandfilter, we ask the communities to bring the sand and gravel to go in them. And it takes longer, but its wonderful for us and the communities when we install 40 filters in one day and we know both parties have contributed. It's a great feeling! Makes it all worthwhile. It's the same with the water committees i'm trying to set up. We've finally got them doing monthly minutes of their meetings (getting them to hold meetings was hard enough). And there's also the water quality testing laboratory we're trying to establish...

Everything is hard work, constant pushing and constant problems...but we get there in the end...not always on time...but i can only try and do my best...

xx

Renk

Well, Renk is finished with - workwise. Working on my day off is not my idea of fun! Although I did have a lovely night with Jasmina - a girl that's come from Bosnia to help us with our finances. She's been such a blessing to me - I would have been here by myself otherwise. It was a good night.

So, it's off to Khartoum tomorrow. Have lots of Chris Moles and Scott Mills podcasts downloaded onto my MP3 player to keep me entertained...but my battery never lasts the full 5.5 hours!

Then fly to th UK on Friday 21st! Yey! Can't wait!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyone!

Lots of love

b xx

Light at the end of the tunnel...

Arrrghhhh!!! My writings just got deleted!! I knew I should have written it in Word first! GUTTED!!!

South Sudan

Well, I’m back from Juba and Kajo Keji, and it was ace!! I loved it. It was green, beautiful and the climate was good. Not that I’m complaining about Renk. The people were great too, so welcoming, but that’s Africa.

It was quite a trip to Kajo Keji. Had to get a bus to Khartoum (5 ½ hours), then flew to Juba (4 hours), then flew to Kajo Keji (30 minutes). Flying was great! In the smallest little plane. Couldn’t believe a little propeller at the front of the plane would allow us to take off, let alone stay in the air! It was wonderful seeing South Sudan from a plane – gives you a better idea of what it’s really like.

Kajo Keji is so small. Flying in was what I always imagined aid work to be like. In the middle of no-where, flying in to a remote village somewhere. We got quite an audience when we landed – I think the arrival of a plane is as exciting as it gets in Kajo Keji J

So, we spent the next five days talking about sand filters, screening material, making sand filters, talking about sand filters, screening material, making sand filters…you get the idea. But it was great. a really good group of people attended, and the majority of them volunteers, which is fairly rare in Sudan. And they’re all really keen to set up a sand filter programme. The only thing is, funding… It’s such a shame that everything comes down to money.

I had a great time. And then two very good nights in Juba – got to eat pizza and meet new people, which is always good.

Now I’m back in Renk…trying to find a CBO (Community Based Organisation) to take on a sand filter project, get institutional latrines underway, carry out a survey on year 1 water activities, get someone to come and train the government on our water quality testing kit, mobilise communities to want sand filters…

Oh the joys. It’s good work. Challenging, but I’m learning lots, getting to meet new people all the time, and experience a new culture. What is there to complain about?