Akech... and countless others who have not been so fortunate

I first met Akech in August last year when she was only about two weeks old. Her mother had died in childbirth and her grandmother brought her to the opening day of the Emmanuel Children’s Centre at Marialbai asking if Akech could be included in the program along with the other 240 children who had lost parents. These decisions are made by the Program Coordinator Paulino Malou in consultation with the Chief and the rest of the management committee. They decided that Akech could be brought regularly to the program and would be given some milk and biscuits.

When I returned to Marialbai with a team in July this year I recognised the grandmother as she joined the children and staff in greeting us. She was holding a baby and I asked through an interpreter “Is this Akech?”. Her answer was simply to take the child and hand her to me. Akech snuggled in close for a few moments… and then began to scream. I handed her back to the grandma, and was amazed to see her put Akech on her breast. It is common here for surrogate mothers to breast-feed their fostered children, but in other cases it is comfort, rather than milk, which is being provided.

Akech has given me a personal insight into an issue which is prevalent in South Sudan. Infant and maternal mortality rates in South Sudan are amongst the highest in the world[1]. It is estimated that one in ten women die in childbirth.

We deliver birthing kits (provided by Zonta and the Birthing Kit Foundation of Australia), medical equipment, and desperately needed training to maternal health care workers in the region surrounding Aweil in an attempt to address the horrific number of deaths through childbirth. In fact Akech’s mother was a recipient of one of our birthing kits. Sadly that couldn’t help with the complications she experienced in labour. Miraculously Akech survived and motivates us to do more to assist those who have so little when it comes to maternal health care.

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[1], The South Sudan head of UNFPA, Dragudi Buwa reported in 2007 that [maternal mortality] "Rates are actually at 2,030 per 100,000 births, the worst in the world."

Letters and Uniforms...

One of the tasks for my most recent visit to South Sudan was to deliver letters from sponsors and supporters to the children at Emmanuel Children's Centre, Marialbai. There is no postal service to South Sudan, so the only way to deliver these letters was in our luggage. Along with about 50kg of medical equipment and birthing kits we carried 5kg of letters - one for each of the 240 children. It might not be the most strategically useful package ever delivered to South Sudan, but for most of these children it was the first letter they had received and was a tangible expression of the love of supporters from Australia.

I had hoped to personally give each child their letter and take photos to show their sponsors and the other letter writers. In the end we didnt have time to do this so I gave the letters to Paulino Malou and asked that he give them to the children and explain how in Australia we do this to express our love to friends and family.


While our team was still there we agreed to supply uniforms to the students. After the school was registered earlier this year the Ministry of Education notified the Principal of the requirement to have a school uniform. Paulino discussed his preference of colours with myself and Ros Stafford-Green, in the end deciding on navy blue shorts and skirts with white shirts. I received the first photos of the children in uniform a few days ago and was very surprised to see the colour - lime green! I laughed. I am pretty sure I have never seen lime green school uniforms before. However I know how proud the children will be, and in a very real sense it gives them dignity in their community. Not only that... when the community see the children walking to and from school they will be reminded of supporters in Australia who are caring for the children of those who lost their lives in the long battle for freedom.

Income for the Emmanuel Children's Centre comes from child sponsorship. For more information please send me an email or download a brochure.


Photos
Delivering 240 letters to Paulino Malou
The children praying in their new uniforms

Bees - and other challenges...

A few weeks ago I visited a village in Aweil North County with my friend Pastor Angelo Atak to see the school he has started in his home village, and to learn about the church he has planted. After turning off the main road we drove through the bush for about half an hour on tracks made by cattle and bicycles. We passed herds of cattle and goats, crops of peanut, maize and sesame, and the occasional hut made of mud and grass.

As we approached the village I could see the children running to form lines and sing songs of welcome - about 150 children singing their hearts out! This is a school without classrooms. The classes meet under trees and the teachers provide education every day without a salary. I can see a few remnants of mud buildings which testify to previous attempts to provide shelter from the rain and heat. In the end the shady trees provide the most practical solution. I met with the teachers and community leaders in the school "office" which probably wont survive another rainy season. At the end of the speeches I was given a goat as a sign of appreciation for my visit. I thanked them but asked that it be given to the teachers instead. These are dedicated leaders working without pay and under difficult conditions because they believe the future generation deserves an education. Despite their best efforts the drop out rate is high - especially amongst the girls.

After the meeting I asked Angelo to show me where the church meets. We walked across the clearing and he pointed to a large shady tree. He said "We used to meet under that tree, but a swarm of bees came and drove us away, so now we meet under that tree over there."

We laughed about it, but I am inspired by my brother who has faced many obstacles, and still persists in meeting the needs of his community.

Photos (from top)

Children singing songs of welcome (office in the background)

Students in class under the tree

Pastor Angelo Atak pointing to the original church that is now home to a swarm of bees.

The new church tree

Beyond my hopes...

The progress of the Emmanuel Children’s Program at Marialbai has exceeded my hopes and expectations. When we commenced the nutrition program in September last year we met under a hastily constructed iron shelter and shared a very basic meal. I took the kids’ photos, met with the management committee, signed a partnership agreement and left. I keep in regular contact with the program coordinator, Pastor Paulino Malou, who keeps me informed of the program’s development, but I was still amazed at what I witnessed when I returned recently.

I was there with Ros Stafford-Green and Anna Anok who were working on our maternal health care project, and John Gilmore, Executive Director of Global Mission Partners on his first visit to South Sudan.

As our team approached in the Chief’s vehicle we could see the new brick walls of the feeding center, the borehole with hand-pump that has been installed and the brick toilet block behind. The children were meeting in class groups under trees – but when they saw us approach they quickly ran to a central space and formed a well organized choir. It is amazing how such small children can sing so loudly. As they sang their songs of welcome the teachers, cooks and other adults filed past to shake our hands. There were prayers and speeches and then more singing - but it was the excitement and joy of the children that made the greatest impression.

The Chief arranged a meeting with members of the community under a large shady tree and once again there were prayers and speeches. Each of the 240 children in the program has been assigned a caretaker, and the community as a whole takes active responsibility for these children who have lost their parents in the civil war.

A few days later Ros and I worked with the teachers to gather some personal information on each child, and I took a new set of photos. Many of the children’s faces shone with joy – a remarkable contrast to the somber photos from the previous year.

As a team we were impressed with the professionalism and organization of the teachers, the care of the staff, the leadership of Paulino, the involvement of the Chief and community and the property development. But more than anything else we were encouraged by the children themselves.

John’s comment summed it up: “This is a happy place!”

(Funding for this program is provided through child sponsorship. If you would like more information on sponsoring a child at Marialbai please follow this link)

Photos (from top)

The children singing songs of welcome

Speeches at the community meeting

Gathering personal information from each child with teachers

Mary's photo from last year

This year's photo of Mary

New beginnings for liberated slaves...

As South Sudan prepares for independence in less than a month, sweeping changes are taking place at a rapid rate. While there is still conflict and instability in many parts, the region as a whole is enjoying the effects of peace. For those liberated from slavery in the North, there is now the opportunity to establish a new life for themselves.

One of the conditions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 was an end to the militia raids which devastated the border regions. In addition to the loss of life and property was the trauma of abduction. Tens of thousands of Dinka boys and girls were abducted and sold into slavery in the Northern parts of Sudan.

In January 2010 I visited the border regions and met with liberated slaves and spoke with community leaders working for their release. It is claimed that 35,000 southerners remain enslaved. Even for those who are liberated or manage to escape, returning to life in their own society is filled with difficulties.

Soon I will be going back to visit the region again and will explore a request to provide a program that will assist liberated slaves to establish new homes and new lives.

A Request for Help...

A few days ago a Sudanese man living here in Adelaide told me a tragic story. His brother was a soldier in Sudan and was killed last year. Then his brother’s wife died of lung cancer two weeks ago. The couple had four children aged approximately eighteen months, three, five and twelve years old – now they are dependent on relatives to provide for their needs. My friend is a student and has four children of his own. He has sent some money to buy food for his brother’s children, but isn’t able to provide what they need until he has finished his course and finds employment – hopefully later this year.

He was asking for some help.

I explained that I don’t have access to funds for this type of need, but told him that I would tell his story. Will you please pray for these children? And if you would like to make a financial contribution please send me a message. My church has agreed to process donations. 

The first bricks...

Pastor Paulino Malou has just sent me some photos of the toilets that were constructed recently at the Marialbai Mission. Now, we might tend to think of toilets as being important from the perspective of sanitation and hygiene (not to mention modesty), but back in September the Chief explained to me that it has another significance to the local community. He told me that when the people see the toilets being built they will say "Ahh... Something good is going to happen here. They wouldn't build the toilets unless they were going to provide something for our stomachs".
There is still some work needed to complete the construction, but it is pleasing to see the first brick building go up at the Mission. And while we would all realise the practical necessity of toilets, most of us probably hadn't thought of them as being a symbol of hope before...

Progress at Marialbai Mission...

Pastor Paulino Malou reports that there has been a noticeable improvement in the health and happiness of the 240 orphans since the Marialbai Mission commenced in September. He writes “The cooks are often giving their testimonies on how God blessed Ayat Community and Aweil West County in particular so that orphans life has been changed and improved as ever expected therefore, PRAISE THE LORD AND GLORY UNTO HIM.”

Approval has been received from the Ministry of Education to commence Junior Primary classes and applications have been submitted for the curriculum. But even before formal classes have commenced the children are demonstrating their hunger to learn English and memorize Bible verses.

Income from GMP’s Child Sponsorship provides a daily nutrition program for the children, and as sponsorship increases this will also cover the salaries of the teachers in the new school. Plans are being developed for the construction of classrooms, and until then the feeding centre building is being used.

Donations have also been committed for the construction of a chapel and Pastor Butros is already providing spiritual leadership and care for this new community.

A team from GMP will return to Marialbai in a few months to see the progress of the mission, and to facilitate the next stages of development.

Photos: 

Pastor Paulino Malou, Coordinator of the Marialbai COC Mission, addressing children in the feeding centre which is also being used as a school and chapel.

Pastor Butros and children on the opening day of the mission, September 2010