Naomi's blog

May 21

Teachers and the Toic

As I write, four Kenyan teachers are waiting for the boarding call in Nairobi’s international airport to send them to South Sudan and onto Marol Academy. The rains have now started, so they will be welcomed by the growing green of the fields. As the wet season appears, the cattle are starting to return from pasture and the numbers at school swell further as more people return to the drier lands near Marol.

New Teachers

Loice and three new Kenyan teachers (Thomas, Lawrence and Elkana) today fly from Nairobi to South Sudan. All being well, they will spend their first night in the village tomorrow night (Monday) as the new member of the Marol Family. The travel will be difficult, especially now the rains are heavy and they will be landing on a small airstrip and will mean a strength of spirit is needed as their faith to come is confronted with the challenges of daily life at Marol. We hope that they quickly become a family and feel at home with Gordon, Joyce and Floyd who are already there.

Funding For New Teachers

The Marol Family now includes five volunteer Kenyan teachers. All straight out of university, they have had little chance to save to fund this service. Therefore, we are seeking to sponsor them to cover the cost of transport, visas, food and a small incentive to spend on living essentials. It costs about 2,000 GBP to support a teacher for a year (or about 170 GBP per month). Some already have sponsorship but we have stepped out in faith to invite the others to Marol.

The Lakes-Unity Toic

Tomorrow, for a week or so, I will travel to the village of Amok Piny in the toic ( grazing lands) between Lakes and Unity States. It has been the sight of heavy raiding in the past, but I will be there to spend time with the cattle keepers as they return from the furthest reaches of their pastures. It is the most remote place I have ever spent time (I think) as it sounds a great distance from even one, grass-roofed market stall. It is a daunting privilege to be able to travel there. I hope that my spirit will be strong when I am in this unfamiliar place and also for good weather - it sounds as if, in a few more rains the village will be permanently cut off by road from other settlements.

May 11

The North and New Things

Continuing North-South Contests

The North and South of Sudan continue to compete with words and bombs as old tensions are brought back to the surface. A new UN resolution is a firm attempt to try to bring the two sides to the negotiating table and prevent full-scale war, yet it is still unclear what the next days will bring. In the village the main concern is the escalating food prices. A sack of maize is now three times what it cost just over a year ago. People feel that they will not be able to afford to feed their families. Yet, they are far from the immediate violence.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17954805

New Soldiers

Along the gravel road, the newly recruited soldiers walked through the day and the night behind the waving South Sudan flag. Having signed up in the main market village, they have a few days walk to the nearest barracks. With tensions increasing against the North, they have been enthusiastic to sign up to the Southern army to defend their new nation. Most of the recruits are in their twenties and have been sent with the praise of their community. Yet, scattered amongst their number, are much younger boys.

New School

On Tuesday, the ground was broken to dig the foundations of Marol Academy Secondary School. Having borrowed a classroom from the primary school last year, there was a massive demand for the secondary school to have a home of its own. Bricks were delivered using the school’s truck and with the help of another truck in the community. Now the mountains of bricks await the builders. Funding for the whole construction is still not secured, but it seemed a step in the right direction to start building.

New Adventures

As strange as it feels to leave Luonyaker, on Monday I will travel away from the familiar pastures of Gogrial East County for a good few weeks. First, I will travel to Kenya to complete university assignments and rest. After a week I will return to South Sudan but will head to Lakes State (another Dinka speaking region a little further south). I have been invited to do a little research, for one month, in that different terrain on possible ways to build peace amongst the communities. It is a privilege to go but I am already tired and fear the energy needed for any new environment.

Apr 24

Waiting and War

As yesterday drew to a close, I sat in the shade of my friend (Bol)’s tukal listening to his radio and the news from Kuajok (the state capital). The news started with the reading out of primary exam results for each school. Post lots of labour by a handful of very dedicated teachers, Marol Academy stood out as one of the best in the state. Yet, the radio’s news quickly turned to whispers of war and the growing support for the SPLA operations on the Northern border. War has become a spoken of possibility. Yet, as we listened to messages of recruitment and funding, Bol’s goats trotted home after a day’s grazing. His one and three year old daughters rushed to the side of a large, black and white goat. Bending down on the floor and smiling with broad smiles, they drank the warm, fresh milk of the goat straight from its udders. They could not have been more happy and their childhood could not seem more perfect. Whatever happens between Khartoum and Juba, I just hope that their lives don’t notice.

War
As much as this is scattered across the headlines, the bombings and attacks that are taken place along the border are still not the daily concern here in the village. The area where the North are bombing is adjacent to our county. Yet, it is across an ethnic and administrative boundary. People never directly travel to this neighbouring area. So, people feel very distant from there and all that is happening. There are whispers of thoughts of war as people listen to all that’s going on. Increasing, voluntary army recruitment is spoken of. Yet, the daily concerns of the village still potter through lost cows, declining grain stores and waiting for the rains.

www.thecitizen.info<http://www.thecitizen.info> is a good source of ongoing news if you’re interested.

Waiting for Rain
The sun had already fallen when the wind blew the first rains of 2012 over Luonyaker. Swirling around the homes and crashing to the ground, the rains made a dramatic entrance. Yet, they were short and the ground absorb the water as if it was just a drop. The real rains are still far away. Yet, there is still happiness in people’s hearts to be reminded that the rains will come again. It’s as if they doubted and wondered whether the rains would forget them this year. But a season of good rain is crucial for boosting low harvest stores.

Waiting for Teachers
Gordon and Joyce are now safely settled at Marol Academy. Floyd has also joined them and is starting to find his way around as the school prepares to open. Please pray that he won’t be too lonely at Marol and that he’ll have all he needs. We are also still desperately hoping for other Kenyan, graduate, Christian teachers like Floyd to head north to South Sudan. There is a strong possibility that a Agriculture teacher and two others who might be willing to join us. We hope that there will be no complications and that they will be able to travel to us in the next couple of weeks.

Apr 2

Travels and the Toic

Under the gapping tree, sixty people sat at the feet of the chief waiting for his judgement over their case. One-by-one they would tell their story. The chief, with his elders’ support, would decide the outcome. One case involved a small girl whose father I knew. Biologically the daughter of another man, she had been born in her father ’s house. Her mum and father were now married. Yet, now she was about six years old, the biological father was demanding her back. She had never met him before. She did not want to go. Her father was fighting to keep her. Yet, she was given to the biological father on the condition that he gave cattle.

At this time of year, when the rains seems a faint memory, the southern half of our country turns to sand. This dry area, where Marol is located, is known as the Pathuon . Yet, if you travel north east for an hour by car, you reach the river. Across the river is the toic and a land with more water. To eat fish and to graze their cattle, much life of the community moves cross the river bed to spend these months far away in the toic . To learn of their laws and hear of their conflicts, this week has seen me take three trips up to the toic .

With the river dry, cars can pass through the river bed. Yet, the dense sand brings many cars to a halt. On Wednesday, our car was stuck four times in various parts of the river’s thick sands. Yet, even the sandy muddle reminded me that this county has become home. The last time we were stuck, our car had become lodged deep in the sand and the evening was starting to draw in. There were only a few of us in the car, including children. I knew we would never be able to lift the car in order to dig it out. Yet, at the end of the day, the few cars that travel to the toic mainly retreat across the river. Three cars found us there. Each one stopped to help in the rescue. In the end, the only driver who could force the car free was the driver of the government’s large mounted gun. But, more than ever, I was reminded that I have been given a community who would take care of me and who are willing to stop to help.

Gordon, Joyce and Floyd (a new Kenyan teacher) safely landed in Juba on Thursday. At about the same time a Feeder (private, South Sudanese company) plane was about to land on Wau’s airstrip. Having circled a couple of times before landing, on-lookers thought that something was wrong. As it touched the ground on the third attempt, the tyre burst, the nose hit the ground and flames erupted from the nose and wing. Amazingly all the passengers managed to rush from the plane with only a few suffering minor injuries. Yet, the plane itself was burnt and dented. Flights for Feeder have been cancelled indefinitely; Gordon, Joyce and Floyd had hoped to fly with Feeder . The Wau airstrip is also closed to all airlines for the time being. Marol Academy is about to open for 2012, and the Marol cohort are now stranded in Juba.

Thankfully, the cohort are now safely booked onto a UN flight. These planes have a very good safety record. Yet, they still will not fly until the Wau airstrip is reopened.

My yesterday was spent in one of the last villages before the Warrap-Unity State border. For the last two decades annual raids across this border have killed hundreds. Last year, children were buried in these last villages after a significant raid. Yesterday, enough of the neighbouring tribe had been seen nearby for it to be the only topic of conversation in the market. Even the court was suspended. Raids to cross the border were also being planned. Peace seems like a distant dream.

A few of my most recent thoughts can be found here: www.africanarguments.org/2012/03/27/a-letter-from-warrap-state-south-sudan-the-rememdy-of-rearmament-–-by-naomi-pendle/

Mar 19

Peace and Prayers

Any reluctance has now passed, and the sun is streaming down on South Sudan with its full dry-season heat. March and April always bring uncontrollable, defeating weather. The afternoons are spent beneath the nearest tree and even the mornings fail to bring a moment of cold. There is comfort in knowing that the pounding heat must come before it passes to the cooler days of the early rain.

This week, the tree I hid beneath was in Leitnhom (the county capital). I had the privilege of attending peace meetings with chiefs and women leaders. It was humbling to here their stories of war, their desire for security and their perceptions of the necessity of conflict. Gathering from all the corners of the land of the Apuk Dinka, their experiences of deadly violence, displacement from their homelands and loss of their sons were vast and raw. The hot, dry season brings increased expectation of deadly conflict.

Yet, being with other women really humbled me. Dressed in their finest colours, the meeting often broke down into dancing and song. Most women were many years older than me, with numerous children and even more grandchildren. One girl was a few years younger than me. Despite her age, she was already widowed. The mother of one, the life ahead of her was decided by that early marriage, her husband’s death and family obligations that will bind her to her husband’s household. I know I still dream of all I will see and do in the years ahead of me. They’re exciting in their unpredictability. I wonder how I ended up in such a different position from her.

Peace Meeting

This coming week will see the youths gathered from across the county to discuss peace. May we all hope for soft hearts and lots of wisdom.

Teachers for Marol

The sandy path cuts through the empty fields and around the thorny hedges of people’s farms. Forest then quickly surrounds you as the car keeps bumping forwards. They assure me that people live nearby, but sprawling bush and beautiful trees are all I can see. The occasional cow promises that there must be people nearby. It is another fifty minutes of the sweltering heat of the car before we meet the regions capital - a tiny market with half a dozen, grass huts. Here is the most distant home of a pupil of the Marol secondary school. Last year his exam results were the best, so the village celebrated and feasted. Now, he hopes to excel again in his second year. Yet, at the moment, there is still no conformation that there will be new Kenyan teachers to allow the full functioning of the secondary school at Marol this coming year. Loice will return to serve these students, and a young graduate called Floyd has also volunteered. Yet, there is a massive need for more teachers and for funding to support these sacrificial workers. The Kenyan Christian union is still trying to assist us we continue to hope for much-needed provision.

Feb 20

Exams, Empty Tummies, A Snake and Wisdom

South Sudan changes quickly. It had been only six months away from Wau but things were different: Kenyan Commercial Bank had finally opened the first secure bank in Wau; the Ugandan shop that sells soap had doubled in size; a girl from the village had bought a new phone (even if there is no phone signal). In the village, a few more brick buildings had appeared and rare houses have new bamboo fences to make their homes private. Yet, the fencing around the panakim had been stolen, flooding the small health clinic with more cows than patients. And, prices had risen in the North-South political storm of the last months. Sorghum (the main grain) has become three times its old price. People were unsure that they could afford to eat.

Exams

The P8s from Marol Academy started sitting their exams last Friday. If they pass, they will receive their Primary School Certificate - the highest qualification most people in South Sudan aspire to. They are sleeping at another school where the exams are being held. There are 32 pupils there from Marol and 76 pupils in total including pupils from other schools in the county. Pray for their peace, confidence and insight.

Empty Tummies

On the first evening, I visited my closest friends in the village. My heart leaped to be home amongst them. My Dinka name makes me part of their family. Talking into the evening, I finally walked home with a friend. Yet, all through our hours of conversation, I realised that no fire had been lit. That night, my friends would not be eating. Even though my friend’s wife is pregnant and her other children small, their bellies would rumble that night. With the harvest still many months away, this is an early time to already be hungry. They had tried to cultivate much land last year.

A Snake

At the Marol teachers compound, Marco and Bol are local boys who have become the guardians/caretakers. They have worked hard to care for the teachers and pupils. They remained on the compound while all of us were away. Yet, last week, while walking back at night, Bol was bitten by a snake. He is alive. He was taken to a traditional, spiritual healer. We continue to hope for his healing.

Wisdom to Listen

The month ahead will see me start to try to understand the local justice system and the conflicts in this area that claim hundreds of lives each year. There is fear of attacks on the cattle and many people are unsure where it is safe to graze their herd. Please pray for vision, insight, humility and wisdom to help with this learning and listening.

Feb 13

Teachers, Travel and Talks

If you turn left through the gates and right at the road’s end, having avoided the swerving cars as they avoid the potholes, you come to a little row of ladies selling fruit. For a few pence, they will give you a bowl of fruit salad cut from fresh bananas, mangoes and such sweet avocados that are unknown in the UK. Kenya gives many treats to enjoy. This week, as I wait to return to South Sudan, I have tried to indulge in lots of those little gifts of daily Kenyan life. Staying here in a friend’s flat has been such a blessing.

Teachers

Next year we hope to have 70 pupils at Marol Academy Secondary School. In an area where only a few dozen people have had a secondary education, this promises to make a massive impact. Yet, there was no certainty of having even one teacher. That’s partly why it’s been good to stop in Kenya. Post the blessing of having three trained teachers from Kenya last year (Loice, Rachel and Emma), we hope that the same will happen in 2012. FOCUS (the Kenyan Christian Union) helped us find these teachers last year. Having met them on Friday, they have promise to find us five teachers for 2012. Loice (from last year) and Floyd have already committed to come. They come as volunteers yet we support them financially. Now the task begins to find sponsors for these brave, faithful people who are prepared to spend a year in South Sudan.

Travel

Tomorrow, just after midday, as church services start in the UK, I fly to South Sudan. Then, on Friday (or as soon as transport can be arranged and a couple of meetings have passed), I fly to Wau and the village. I am praying I would love it as much as ever and that it will feel as if I am coming home. Yet, I have been away a long time and England seems most familiar.

Talks

The North and South Sudan were due to start negotiations today post the closure of the oil pipeline. The sale of Southern oil is dependent on it being piped out through the North to Port Sudan. Yet, the North and South have failed to agree the levy for the use of this pipeline. 98% of South Sudan’s revenue is from the oil, so it was a significant decision to turn off its flow.

http://africanarguments.org/2012/02/06/pipe-dreaming-over-oil-in-south-sudan- –-by-luke-patey/

Feb 6

Snow to Sun

The floor is covered in pieces of paper and piles of clothes. The suitcase was hauled from the attic a couple of days ago and the familiar, final preparations for returning to South Sudan are nearly complete. However many times I pack, I can never finish before the last minute hurry.

Yet, despite its familiarity the return journey still seems daunting. Having been away from the village for many months, I wonder if I have remembered what life there is. The heat of the dry season has already engulfed South Sudan. It seems very far from the snow of Bath.

On the 5th (snow permitting), I fly to Nairobi. I then hope to meet Kenyan teachers to recruit a new cohort for Marol Academy. On the 12th I fly to Juba and, then, on to Wau.

My Parents have been kinder to me than I could have imagined while I have been at home. However, I know that my return to South Sudan is never easy for them. Especially now, when there are new whispers of conflict post arguments over the oil between North and South Sudan. This is an old argument but is now between two sovereign nations.

We continue to hope for wisdom for the leaders and compassion for their people.

Dec 13

Graduation, Growing and Safely Home

I hope the run up to has filled your hearts with warm whispers of waiting and that these colder days have found you cosy inside.As the year comes to a close, it is a perfect to moment to be thankful for all that has been given to us this year. In particular:

Safe Arrivals Home

Now, finally, Gordon, Joyce, Loice, Rachel and Emma are all safely back in their homes. Some are now in the Lydney and others in the bustle of Nairobi, but they are still at the heart of what Marol Academy has done this year.

Nhial’s Graduation from Teacher Training College

A star of the college, Nhial Bona has finally graduated from Yei Teacher Training College. He is the first trained teacher amongst the 90,000 Apuk Dinka and will return to Marol for the 2012 school year. We are so, so proud of him. And we hope to send another teacher for this two-years’ training. It seems one of the most lasting legacies that is possible. We have only been able to do it thanks to the funding from teachers in the UK. So, thank you.

Growing Support in the UK

Hope for more people in the UK to love, be envisioned and serve the children of Marol.

Nov 21

Through the plane’s small window and across the thin tarmac that shimmers in the sun, you can see a handful of cattle grazing at the runway’s edge. A tiny plane comes into land as the engine on our Kenya-bound flight kicks into action. Just a few months before, after a miscalculation by air traffic control, our plane had been metres from landing on top of another when flying into Juba airport. The sight of the strip of tarmac always reminded me to thank God for his mercies. But, it was soaring up over the vast, green lands and snaking rivers that was the real reminder of God’s provision. Beneath us was spread South Sudan and its post independence hope. God had done mighty works in this nascent nation but there were many more left to do.

Yet, looking down on the glistening roofs reminds you of what is hidden in Juba, is not always the hope that seems more abundant in the village. NGOs and the UN are accused of consuming money intended for South Sudan. The government is accused of using South Sudan’s money to buy the biggest cars that can fit on its crowded streets. Land Cruisers, high security fences and quick construction characterise this city that few Southern Sudanese would recognise as their own.

Yet, with the jumbled streets and the beating sun, this is still almost a reminder of Marol. This morning saw me land into the mist of a London morning. From home to home in just an afternoon and a morning.

Back in South Sudan, five people died last week in the grazing lands where the cattle from Marol are kept. School-aged boys, guarding the cattle, often come into deadly conflict as they attempt to protect their family’s wealth. Recent disarmament campaigns have confused the usual security setting. Fear of more conflict remains while these families still grieve their loss. At the moment, Marol has no secondary school teachers for 2012 although we have dozens of eager students.

Plus, due to student protests, many schools in Wau have been closed indefinitely meaning that even less secondary education is available in the region. Marol needs more teachers so that we can keep providing.

In other news, this week the leaders of the church of Sudan gather in Juba. This includes Bishops from the Nuba Mountains and the Blue Nile who are experiencing intense persecution as civil war erupts in these regions.