Provision of Birthing Kits…

We put Ros on a plane at lunch time and she is now on the slow journey home via Addis Ababa, Dubai, Kuala Lumpar and Perth. I told her I wouldnt let her leave until she had written a report on the birthing kits and medical equipment. She finished it this morning.


A report by Ros Stafford-Green
Following the 2008 trip by Steve and Joseph, there was interest expressed for birthing kits to be made available. 200 Zonta Birthing Kits were provided by Birthing Kit Foundation Australia (BKFA) for this trip. To ensure they would be used appropriately and that maternal and foetal outcomes would be known it was necessary to make contact with those who would use them. It soon became apparent that a new hospital at Malek Alel Church of Christ worked with some trained Traditional Birthing Attendants (TBAs) who could use these for home births. They had some experience using them some years back and realised their benefit. One bag of 100 kits along with a small amount of medical equipment was gratefully accepted for use in this community in Aweil South County.

Then travelling to the north west of Aweil we spent time in communities that have been decimated by the effects of war. However, with greater stability at the moment, Darfuri refugees and returnees from the north of Sudan are settling in the region. In a society where large families are expected, safe childbirth is a real issue. Here, complications at delivery can result in both maternal and foetal death. This is particularly pertinent in the Marialbai area where they are isolated and have no means of transportation when problems occur. As there are three trained TBAs there who had previous experience using the kits, the other bag of 100 birthing kits was offered to them. Cecilia, the head TBA, delivers three to four babies a week and was very keen to use the kits and receive further training.

At both these locations we were requested to provide further training for TBAs, as well as other medical, laboratory and nursing staff. We have begun to put in place the necessary administrative processes required by BKFA for an ongoing supply of birthing kits in these areas.


Whilst the optimal situation would be for all women to have access to a hospital and medical staff, the kits provide an immediate resource to help prevent infection, one of the major causes of death in Sudan.

Ros delivering birthing kits to Cecilia at Marialbai

Cecilia with one of the kits

Providing medical equipment to Philip Garang, the Clinical Officer at Malek Christian Hospital

Leaving Aweil...

This morning we were up at 4 AM to commence the first leg of our journey home. Now we are back in Juba and tomorrow Ros will start her way home. Joseph and I will be here till Saturday to meet a few more people and put in place some organisational matters.

Here are a few more photos from our time in Northern Bahr Al Ghazel...

Walking the streets of Aweil Town

 Marialbai Primary School

Making Bread

Wau Airport

Going to Church at Malek Alel

Two children who shared our lunch in Ayat

Marialbai...

We’ve spent three days visiting in the Ayat community north west of Aweil. Ros came home happy and excited. I came home in tears.


Ros has enjoyed the generous hospitality we’ve been shown and the chance to engage with midwives and medical projects. She has been instrumental in forming a vision and plan of what we can do here and has found this both enjoyable and fulfilling. This is a large part of why she has come. She has also captivated the children of Marialbai with her cameras and attempts at the local language. Despite the heat, dust, lack of sleep and very basic living conditions Ros has a bounce in her step. It has been an enjoyable and productive few days and she is obviously excited about our mission in Marialbai.

I have also enjoyed our time in Ayat and feel compelled by a vision that will serve this community. But seeing the impact of this war up close has been very confronting. Chief Riiny Riiny Lual is the Paramount Chief of the region and hosted our visit. His brothers and sisters were the first Sudanese I supported as we welcomed them as refugees in Adelaide. As we approach the Chief’s tukul we pass the grave of his older brother, the husband of Aluong who I supported in coming to Adelaide. The Chief has lost 10 brothers in this war, and those who survived are scattered around the world. The Chief’s car is broken down under the tree. The Missiriya have raided his cattle, his primary source of wealth.

I met the mothers and siblings of the first family we sponsored. As I filmed their message to their family in Australia, one girl broke down. “Waake archa morth aphe, waake archa morth aphe. Have you forgotten me? I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye. Do you even remember me?”

There are many orphans here. In Sudan an orphan is someone who has lost their father. Many of them still have their mothers, but when life is so hard and resources so scare, life is even harder for these children. We are partnering with an energetic and visionary Church of Christ leader who has a vision to care for these children. The Chief took us for a walk to an area set aside for returnees from the north. These are people who have fled the conflict and now are coming back. There are hundreds of thousands of them with a large percentage of widows and orphans. As we walked others gathered until we had quite a group of followers. Then the Chief pointed out the boundaries of the land he is offering us. It is much larger than I expected. Their hopes and expectations are high.

We walk past a small but well equipped hospital established by a charity organisation. They will leave at the end of February. The local administrator says he would prefer they didn’t have the hospital than to have it stand empty as a reminder of what they don’t have. It is the only medical facility in the region and serves a population of about half a million people. We compare it to having a brand new garage – but no car. He says the community will be going back to the bush to get the traditional roots and leaves for medicine.

Later we met two women who had been abducted by Arab raiders. They are much more fortunate than so many who have been enslaved. A man we talked to has been lobbying the Government to support the release of the abductees. Many are sex slaves and we heard several reports of girls being raped with pieces of wood until they are dead. They have identified 40,000 who are still in slavery in the north and they have arranged the liberation of 5,000. Some men have been killed for their involvement in this work, and our friend narrowly escaped.

The Primary School has 600 students, an enthusiastic Principal and teachers. The buildings remain from the British era, but they are empty. There are no windows, doors, desks or books. Donkeys walk through the classrooms.

The school, the orphans and widows, the Chief’s broken car, the graves, the slaves and the tears of those whose families are scattered combine with overwhelming impact to tell the story of how this community has suffered through 40 years of war.

5 years of peace…

Saturday was CPA Day – the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Nairobi. The celebration was postponed until Monday and we witnessed the marching procession and could hear the music and dancing continue until dawn. Although there are still pockets of conflict and much to negotiate for sustainable peace to be a reality, we notice a change even from 18 months ago. There are less guns, fewer soldiers, the community is more relaxed and settled. Even a Colonel I spoke with was confident that from now on they can fight with words rather than guns.

Stability...

We are aware that news reports in Australia tell of a break-down in the peace agreement in Sudan. We are in daily contact with government leaders and are in a good position to monitor the situation. If there is any danger we have many people who will ensure our safety. The bigger issue is working for the peace and stability of the country, without which imrovement to the standard of living will be stalled.

A Family Scattered...

Yesterday we met Veronica Abuk, the mother and grandmother to several of my congregation in Adelaide. Let me share a bit of her story.

In 2001 Abuk and her family were in Aweil Town when the militia attacked. Abuk’s husband was killed, Abuk was shot, and the family scattered. A daughter, Juer, came to Australia and settled into my congregation with her daughters. Juer was in contact with some of her sisters and brothers, but she didn’t know what happened to her mother or her 4 younger siblings. She assumed her mother had been killed. Finally she found her younger siblings in an orphanage in Aweil under the care of the Catholic Church. We supported her application to bring them to Australia on a Family Orphan Visa. The older girl went missing in Khartoum but we welcomed the younger 3 to Australia about 2 years ago and they have become part of our church family.

A few months later I came with Joseph to Aweil and there we discovered that Juer’s mother Abuk was living in Khartoum, North Sudan. I rang Juer and passed on the news. Last year another daughter was able to bring her back to Aweil. But there is no news of the lost daughter.

When I greeted Abuk I told her we thought she was dead. I passed on greetings from her children, told her how well they are doing in Australia and showed some photos from my computer. Abuk of course was overjoyed to see the pictures and hear the news. But there was no hiding the pain. We see a lot of anguish here, but Joseph and I couldn’t hold back our tears. This family’s story is typical of what many South Sudanese have endured. We pray one day they can be reunited.



With Veronica Abuk and her daughter

Photos of Aweil...

Campaigning prior to the coming elections

Making tahini at the markets

Meeting Pastor Yournew Wol after his return from Nairobi

Our first breakfast at Mama Adut's home in Aweil