Significant Impact

Three weeks of the Solidarity with South Sudan (SSS) teacher training in-service programmes have now been completed in Malakal and Yambio and two weeks in each of Leer and Rumbek. SSS staff are training teachers in four out of the ten South Sudan States but are accepting residential students from all States. In one of the four States, Western Equatoria, SSS is also developing an agricultural programme (at Riimenze) which helps provide food for the 40 students in residence, and the 55 day students, in Yambio. In a fifth State, the SSS registered nurse training and mid-wifery programmes have resumed. In the capital, Juba, in Central Equatoria, a sixth State in which we are based, SSS pastoral programmes and our South Sudan central administration are located.  Recently it was pleasing to meet an Australian delegation in Juba, led by Sudanese-born Australian, George Meat Pietch who is soon to be ordained as a married deacon in Australia. He was accompanied by Fr Tony Feeney, a Melbourne parish priest, and Br Michael Lynch, a Salesian, on their mission to set up a well-resourced Catholic school in Bentieu, the birthplace of George. I later met George again in Malakal when he visited his wife’s family. George, who is from the Nuer tribe, was not accompanied on this trip by his Shilluk wife, who remained in Australia to care for their six children. In recent months, we have welcomed several new members to our long-term resident team delivering teacher training: Sisters Carolyn Buhs and Sally Frommelt from the USA [...]

We can make a difference

Enormous resources have been poured into South Sudan since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in January, 2005. What signs of genuine progress are there among the ordinary people as a result of this? Is there any evidence that there is more opportunity emerging for the people generally?  Some things are very noticeable: more school buildings, more vehicles, more variety of goods, even with the current shortages. But severance from the north has come at a cost. One sister wrote recently: ’I like Malakal but I liked the old Malakal more’.. .. . when there was town power most nights, diesel fuel was relatively cheap, fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs were there in the market and gas was available.  There is no doubt, I believe, that new supply routes will be opened up and that readjustment will occur. I asked a class recently, ‘Was the war worth it?’ There were plenty of responses giving reasons why it was, even from those who lost family members during the war. Among this class of young men and women between the ages of 19 and 30, only 12 out of 32 still enjoyed having their fathers alive.  The mothers of 26 of this class were still living but in most of their families some siblings had also died. The war was directly responsible for the death of many people but indirectly for many more who died from starvation, poor health care and harsh living conditions. Yet the major gain has been continuing peace and a pervading sense of [...]

Companions on the Journey

Solidarity with South Sudan (SSS) is a deliberately chosen name. After a recent visit to South Sudan, SSS Board member, Brother Jorge Gallardo, who has been involved in the project from the beginning, wrote: Just after the signing of the CPA, the Bishops Conference of Southern Sudan appealed to the leaders of Religious Institutes in Rome for help. The Union of male Superiors General (USG) and its female counterpart, the UISG, together, responded by taking the courageous decision of creating a new model of mission for religious life. Different Religious Congregations would commit financial aid and/or personnel in order to provide teacher education, health training and support programs to assist the South Sudanese people in their quest for peace, unity and reconciliation. The project was given the name of Solidarity with South Sudan (SSS). There is a clear stress on the preposition “with”, underlying the commitment of its members to accompany the people of South Sudan, empowering and supporting them as they rebuild their lives, their communities, and their societal structures.  When Sr Ninet in Malakal, one of the pioneers of SSS who arrived here in 2008, attended a recent meeting in Malakal, the Minister of Education described SSS as ‘best partner’ because of ‘the continuity and consistency’ SSS brings to its work, offering experienced teachers who stay on with the people rather than doing short tours of duty. SSS brings a further ‘S’, stability, to its work in South Sudan. One South Sudan government official remarked that SSS is the only organisation in all [...]

Simple but Strong

There was no priest available for mass last Sunday morning. So the communion service was led by the parish catechists. Gabriel, the senior catechist, preached the homily. He is known to be a man of strong faith and simple devotion to the Church he has served, for many years, including the years of war. The parish now has an active parish priest and a deacon – to be ordained in December – but they were absent from Riimenze this day at other mass centres of this large parish. So once again Gabriel led his people in prayer and worship with a full church as usual. Gabriel is esteemed as a decent, uncomplicated, honest man who deserves the respect he is shown as community catechist. Priests may come and go but he is always here with reassuring fidelity. Here it is evident that the Church is the people of God. The Church building may be decrepit with windows missing, roughly finished and with hard, backless benches but the people unite in unquestioning faith. I find myself wondering how different it is from many first world countries where people have found all kinds of reasons to abandon their places among the people of God. Lasting marriages are built on simple fidelity in spite of personal failings. So too the people of God have many failings but why do so many no longer simply forgive and forget and continue to be strong in their belief? In this society one can rediscover the simple joys of living because so [...]

Rain on the Roof

It is only the relatively modern houses in South Sudan which have galvanised iron or zinc-aluminium roofs. Most people still live in the traditional grass-roof tukuls. Tiled or slate roofs may exist somewhere but I don’t recall seeing them although I have seen roofs that are made from concrete. Those who live in tukuls with grass roofs never hear the drumming sound of rain on a metal roof. I am told one hears many other sounds – the movements of geckos or rats, the rustle of leaves, the dripping of rain into puddles, the unwelcome buzzing of mosquitoes. I think there is something comforting about the sound of rain on the roof when one is snuggled up warmly, sheltered from the wild moods of nature. Flashes of lightning followed by rolls of thunder are not threatening when one is securely inside. Most well made tukuls don’t leak but I wonder whether the sounds of a storm, inside a tukul, are comforting or threatening. Occasionally, I have heard gunfire at night. Locked in our house I have felt fine. How would I feel in a tukul? How would lightning and thunder make me feel in a tukul? I don’t really know. Maybe if I were dark-skinned the night would bring a special sense of security. One could simply disappear into the blackness. I know in this society in the day-time my whiteness stands out. Being different in appearance from everyone else can seem to be a problem but it has been brought to my attention that  [...]

Education in South Sudan

I have come to realise that a recurring question jumps into my mind almost every time I see little urchins happily running around the muddy streets of Malakal. They often wave gaily to me and occasionally call out ‘kawadja’ (white man) with big smiles on their faces. Do they think the whole world is like this? ‘Ignorance is bliss’ an aphorism says. Do these children realise they are disadvantaged by not going to school? Do they hope for something better or are they satisfied because this is all they know? Most never see TV, videos or even photographs, of other places. Yet surely in this modern world, this ‘global village’, lack of basic health care is not acceptable. Nor is it enough to know only the tribal language, if the people are ever to venture outside of their region of birth. People have very limited options indeed if they do not  posses the ability to communicate in a widely spoken international language. Here in South Sudan the most common languages are Arabic or English; in some parts of Africa it is French rather than English.  For South Sudan, the government has proclaimed that language will be English. In Malakal, Sr Margaret Sheehan began teaching English to women from the parish in the evenings. Now that she is on home leave to Ireland, the parish priest, Fr Stephen, has taken over the classes which are consistently well attended. Learning English is an important step in building this new nation, as it faces the challenge of creating [...]

The Cat and the Snake

The Cat and the Snake

 I have seen several small snakes near our Malakal house recently. I would guess there are also some big ones and they have seen me! Normally each would give the other a wide berth. Not so our cat. No-one knows the origin of this cat other than it turned up around our house and has formed a mutual bond with us. I was intrigued to witness its confrontation with a snake. Some photos are attached. My guess is that the cat won as it was okay later and there was a dead snake! The world of nature achieves a balance between avoidance behaviour and confrontation. Most of the time, natural enemies stay out of harm’s way by successfully avoiding predators; but occasionally there is confrontation. In South Sudan, it is common to see play confrontation as goats endeavour to head butt each other into submission. Unlike the cat and the snake, neither goat gets seriously hurt but the ritual is performed and both seem satisfied. Two equals can head butt harmlessly but confrontation between unequals can have a deadly outcome for the weaker.  Perhaps it is similar with people. Politicians head butt lots of the time. I don’t really understand why. To me it puts them on a similar level to goats. Mostly it is between equals and maybe no real harm appears to be done. But I would vote for any member of parliament who rises above the sneering, verbal abuse and name-calling that is common in parliament – call [...]

Crusty Bread Rolls

Life is good in South Sudan at present – and will probably remain so for the likes of me. Anyone who is receiving funds from other countries has a distinct advantage. When our first people came here, they were getting just over two Sudanese pounds to the dollar. For much of last year, the rate was 2.8 or 2.9. That is still close to the current bank rate but you can now get 3.5 from plenty of traders who buy their goods outside South Sudan and need dollars to pay for them. So that is okay for me. Give me a dollar and I receive a lot more of the local currency. But what about the South Sudanese who trade in Sudanese pounds, get paid in pounds and purchase in pounds? A tin of peas or beans used to cost five pounds. In the last few weeks the price has jumped to ten. One orange, the only fruit in the market today, cost 2 pounds. The price of onions has almost trebled. It must be tough for many South Sudanese. The price of diesel and gas has doubled – but that is not a problem at present as none is available to purchase! I am not sure if the major cause is rampant inflation or more an under-supply of goods. Well over half the shops in Malakal are closed at present. Many of the Arab traders have left town – which is a pity as this is a place where Muslim and Christian civilians co-exist [...]

Free At Last

The newest country on earth, South Sudan, is now formally in existence. The celebrations were joyful and orderly. No ‘What ifs?’ arose to spoil the occasion: no unforeseen incident occurred to mar the celebrations. Significantly, Sudan, our northern neighbour from whom the south seceded, became the first country formally to recognise South Sudan as an independent nation. It is hard to capture the spirit and excitement of such an occasion. Perhaps the banner shown in one photo taken in Juba, ‘Free at Last’, with the men carrying replicas of parts of the statue of liberty, sums up what independence mean to the South Sudanese people. Ninety-nine percent voted for independence and that has been delivered. Hopefully, the years of war are behind the people of this new nation but there are many challenges ahead. The Secretary General of the United nations, Ban Ki-moon, who was present in Juba for the independence celebrations summed up the reality in these words:

‘Nationhood has come at steep cost: a staggering number of lives lost and people displaced in a 21-year civil war that ended only in 2005. When the assembled presidents and prime ministers board their official planes to return home, the challenges that remain will be daunting indeed. On the day of its birth, South Sudan will rank near the bottom of all recognized human development indices. The statistics are truly humbling. It has the world’s highest maternal mortality rate. Estimates of illiteracy among the female population exceed 80 [...]

The Countdown Has Begun

July 9th is Independence Day for Southern Sudan: a new nation is to be born. Southern Sudan, in normal times, is a somewhat unpredictable place to be. Even more so now. When one travels, one is often confronted with new procedures that are applied once and then mysteriously lapse after a very short period of time. Who decides to do what, when and to whom, is a challenge for me. I was grateful to find both my bags arrived with me in Juba, after an unscheduled extra day in Dubai and a change of airlines, blamed again on volcanic ash. There must be a lot of selective ash around as my airline wasn’t flying to Addis Ababa whilst others were! After collecting my bags in Juba and having them inspected at customs, I was challenged as I left the terminal: ‘Have you paid the baggage tax?’ I looked shocked and replied: ‘But I live here, I have a resident’s permit’. I was allowed through without paying. After a few days in Juba and a Solidarity with Southern Sudan (SSS) Management Team meeting, I travelled on Saturday 25th to Yambio. Without any prior announcement, we discovered early on Saturday, just as I was leaving, that it had been declared some kind of ‘lock-down’ or ‘curfew’ day in Juba There was to be, we were told, a house-to-house search for weapons. Nonetheless, Sr Cathy drove me to the airport. Every 30 metres or so along the roads we travelled, there were armed soldiers  stationed but we [...]