I find it difficult to explain the challenges we have in communicating with our partners in Sudan. Maybe this picture will help. This is the Aweil Post Office. Or at least it used to be. Now it contains a few hundred bats, a telegraph machine (which would look very impressive in any museum - especially if 50 years of dust and bat faeces were cleaned off), and a wooden table where a couple of men sell mobile phones. The building is a relic of British ambition and stands as a reminder of what most of the world takes for granted - communication.Magdalene explained to me how the "modern" postal service in Aweil works. When she worked as a Postal Officer in Aweil she would be called to an office, handed a letter which had just been typed, and then proceed on foot to hand-deliver it to the recipient - who of course she would know by name. If the person wasnt in town they were dependant on someone travelling to the relevant location to deliver the letter.
This is the same method available to us if we want to "post" anything from Australia to Aweil. If I hear of someone travelling home to Sudan from Adelaide I will ask if they can deliver letters or photos to particular people. Of course dozens of others will make the same request, loading the traveller with clothes and gifts and many instructions. And its not very effective when you want a quick answer to a simple question.
But I mentioned men selling mobile phones. Surely the advance of modern technology has made communication quite simple. Last year there were four mobile phone carriers in Aweil, and another one about to begin. But only one of them could carry international calls. Even then, the coverage is limited to the centre of the town and could drop out completely for months at a time. The Internet is similar - for those who have access it can provide easy communication via email or Skype, but recently the whole network was down for about three months. The Government and NGOs rely on satellite phones for reliable communication, but few people have access to this service.
This week I spoke on the phone to Deborah, the midwife at the Aweil Civic Hospital - having made dozens of unsuccessful attempts over the past year. She told me she thought I had forgotten her requests for assistance. I reassured her I have tried dozens of time to get messages to her and that we are working to provide the help she needs.
The development of a strong ministry partnership is dependant on communication. Currently we are exploring the use of mobile satellite modems which linked to a laptop computer would provide consistent access to email, phone and possibly video conferencing. In the mean time I continue to send emails and try the phone, aware that it is likely to take several attempts before my message gets through.
