The Final Chapter

As I packed my bags another storm blew over Acumcum. I was sad to be leaving without experiencing the wet season. Small patches of green grass had started to grow and the pigs had returned to the compound pigsty with 10 little ones in tow. I was told it is a sign that the rains are on the way! I am sure South Sudan is a completely different place to experience in the wet. Driving through Acumcum village and Wau town for the last time was surreal. When I first arrived I found the place harsh and difficult to adjust to, but after three months I had slowly gotten used to daily life and started to build some good relationships with colleagues and other international workers. I suppose that is life in general - people and experiences coming in and out.

 

I spent one night in Juba and was surprised to find the place more multicultural than when I first arrived, with many faces from Ethiopia and Eritrea and expats driving around in UN vehicles. There was a large amount of fresh fruit and vegetables for sale at the markets and being closer to Uganda allows for a variety of goods to be imported. I relaxed at a hotel on the river Nile and enjoyed a cold smirnoff while watching the boats pass by.

 

Arriving at my five star hotel in Addis Ababa I was gobsmacked. I had not had running water, electricity or a variety of food for three months. To sleep in a king sized bed and have a hot shower was amazing! Addis is an interesting city. I went on a private city tour and experienced the big marke, traditional dinner and dancing. My guide was lovely and helped me run around town to find an ATM that was working!

 

I have spent the last three days in the ancient town of Lalibela. It is famous for its underground rock churches. The Ethiopian Orthodox religion is very much part of daily life and it was fascinating to visit the churches and witness locals coming to pray and fast. I met some lovely girls from the UK who are working in Africa so spent a couple of days touring with them. On my last day in Lalibela I decided to make the trek to a monestary in the mountains. I took a mule but the mountain was so steep and rocky at times that I fell off the mule and fell over twice. It was a scary experience but the view from the top was incredible. Ethiopia is an unusual place, very unique to the rest of Africa. It is rich in culture, religion and culinary experiences. It is safe and a place that I would recommend to travel. 

 

Getting ready to fly out I have mixed feelings. I am looking forward to arriving home to my family, friends, wonderful food, ease of life and comfort, but I am also feeling sad to be leaving the adventure and isolation that is Wau, South Sudan. Despite the  heat, challenges and frustrations I think that the country, people and culture of South Sudan has gotten under my skin and I will be back one day.

 

 

Weekend in Wau

As my last days in South Sudan have crept up on me I decided to spend the weekend in Wau. A number of colleagues had training in Wau so were also staying at a hotel. I spent a lazy Saturday by the pool at the Wau River Lodge and had the best meal I have had since being in South Sudan  for dinner - roasted lamb and chips! Although there are sheep around, it is not common to find it on the menu.

 

On Sunday morning I was meant to be taken on a tour of the largest Catholic Cathedral in Wau but the Father's motorcycle broke down! It was a hot and windy day and in the afternoon a dust storm followed by rain storm hit Wau. It was incredible to watch the red dust being blown everywhere, followed by torrential down pour. As I have not seen any rain since I arrived it was surreal to walk out on the streets and there be puddles of water. I can imagine how difficult and unpleasant it is in town in the wet season as there are no drainage, sewage or sewerage systems in place.

 

I had organised to visit my friend's mum for dinner that day and had to take a ruksha (tuk tuk) through the massive mud puddles to get to her house on the other side of town. I was paranoid that the tiny little vehicle would not make it, or worse, tip over sideways in the water. I was told that I should take some friends or colleagues with me for dinner and within the South Sudanese culture a guest is always supposed to eat first. It felt unusual to me that I was in the house with my friends eating and drinking, while my host was outside preparing the meal. Only after we finished eating did she come and sit with us.

 

The rain brought a cooler change to the temperature so the last two days have been pleasant and sleeping has not been a problem. I am sure that in a few weeks and with some more rain the landscape here will look very different to the way it is now. I would like to experience South Sudan in the wet season, only minus the mosquitoes.

This experience over the last few months has reminded me that people are adaptable and strong, no matter where they live in the world and what cards they have been dealt in life. I am looking forward to heading back to my life in Australia but I will think fondly on my times and experiences in Acumcum, Wau and South Sudan.

Visit to Nyinakok

My latest assignment has been to write a concept note for the Local County Government to help them build their headquarters. Up until December 2012 the three Counties of Western Bahr El Ghazal State have been operating out of Wau, however the Government's policy for many years has been that each County should be based within its own County's geographical location.

 

The Government made a very firm announcement in October of last year that all County headquarters should cease operating from Wau and this is what led to the violence and killings of 30 people. Unfortunately for the local County Government, there is no budget from the Government to help them build their headquarters. They have managed to receive some donations from local NGOs, but this is limited to bricks etc. So my job is to prepare a brief report to send to international donors requesting assistance for infrastructure and funding.

 

Yesterday we went for a drive from Acumcum along a back bush road to Nyinakok, the new site of Jur River County headquarters. It felt like we were on a safari, driving through isolated wood lands and tall grasses. The men from the County office and local chiefs were very helpful and provided me with all of the information I needed.

 

We then went for a walk to the local river. As it is the dry season the water level is very low. There were still plenty of monkeys around. On the way back they took me past a hyena's den. Thankfully they stayed sleeping!

 

 

Chief and Executive Chief of Nyinakok

 

Colleagues John and William near the river




At the site of the new headquarters

 

Weekend of Luxury

For many weeks I decided to have a break from Acumcum and spend the weekend at a hotel in Wau. There are two hotels that cater to the international community and I decided to stay at the one with the best pool. It is called Amarula Lodge. It is situated out of town, opposite the United Nations compound.

 

I woke up on the Friday with an awful head cold and spent the day lying in my tukul. Of course I was disappointed that I would be away for the weekend and not feeling a 100%. On Saturday morrning I got dropped into Wau and spent the day in and around the pool, enjoying cold drinks. A friend joined me for dinner at the hotel and then we went on a night motorbike tour of Wau - not much to see as there is no electricity, only a few generators here and there.

 

It was so nice to sleep on a firm bed and have a flushing toilet and hot shower. On the Sunday I was not feeling well and spent the day drinking soda water instead of enjoying the food! I met some really nice people around the pool and it is interesting to hear what they are all doing in South Sudan. In particular I had some really good conversations with two men who work for the United Nations in de-mining. They have been doing it for years, travelling through various war torn countries disabling land mines.

 

Sunday night at the hotel was very quiet. Apparently there is no money circulating in Wau, so local people have limited money to spend on food and beverages at restaurants or bars. In addition to that, there has been a curfew in place since December, after serious shootings occurred in town. That means that international personnel, particularly UN staff do not go out and about after the curfew because if something happens to them they will not be covered by insurance or be provided with UN assistance.

 

Unfortunately I woke up on the Monday morning with a stomach bug. I have never been so relieved to have a flushing toilet close by! Luckily for my health situation the work car had some problems that needed to be fixed so it was in the mechanics for most of the morning. I managed to rest, take a lot of medication and then got picked up and went to Mapel for a community meeting. The road to Mapel is the main road heading to Juba, the capital city yet the conditions are awful. It is so bumpy with huge craters everywhere.

 

Thankfully I survived the day and the community meeting went really well. The information I received will help me to write my next project proposal that is due this weekend.

Wau Town Photos

 Some photos of daily life in and around Wau Town

Locals walking in town



 



Busy Street and Markets in Wau






 

Waiting to cross the main road


 

Eastern Bank - Suburb on the other side of the river from Wau Town



 

Local Car Wash



Water boys - delivering water to the compound in town



Thoughts on Development in South Sudan

It has now been over a month I have been in South Sudan and in that time I have written as much of the report on street children in Wau that I can until I gather further information, developed and written a project proposal for increasing women's participation in public and political life at the local level and have assisted colleagues to write budget narratives for a World Food Program project and humanitarian relief project.

 

There are many challenges and frustrations faced when working within the development sector in South Sudan. From my short time in South Sudan observations are that international donors have more funding available for emergency and humanitarian projects rather than long term development and setting up vocational training. The civil war ended in 2006 and most people who fled have since returned to their homelands, yet funding is still being allocated in large quantities to returnees and internally displaced persons.  

 

It seems that it is easier to fund 'hard' projects - that is the provision of material supplies or goods, rather than investing large sums of money to  help develop the capacity of the government and indviduals. For example, there is a primary school and health clinic in Acumcum village. These buildings were built and paid for by international donors, yet the clinic has not been open one day that I have been here. It is the responsibilty of the government to staff the clinic, yet the government does not have adequate funds to pay the salaries of health workers and any health professional that would accept a low paying job at the clinic would be from outside the village and therefore living expenses would have to be paid as well.

 

It is currently school holidays so the local school is not open, but I have been told that the quality of teaching in South Sudan is getting lower. Teachers receive minimal salaries and large numbers are now changing professions. Because the quality of teaching is low, many families decide not to send their children to school and instead have them help with chores.

 

There is no easy answer to South Sudan's problems and how things may be fixed, but my view is that the international community and donor funding may be assisting in some areas but may also be creating additional problems that the Sudanese people will have to deal with in generations to come.

Bodies and Bathing

It should be noted that basic sanitation in South Sudan is very poor and people do not have toilets or running water inside their house or tuktul. If one is industrious or a little more well off, there may be a latrine pit outside, protected by bricks, grass or bamboo sheeting. Looking around the expanse of tukuls throughout the suburbs of Wau I often wonder how people find the place or privacy to relieve themselves or bathe.

 

Having spent a few weeks in South Sudan I am able answer this question based on my own observations. It is a common sight while driving along the main road into Wau, or even in the town intself, to see a man standing on the side of the road urinating without a care in the world. Although not as common, I have seen many women just squat where they are, lift up their skirt and do what they need to do.

 

The other day as I was going for a walk in the village I went past the water pump. There were some children collecting water, some animals having a drink and an older teenage boy washing his clothes and having a wash with nothing on. I think I was more embarassed than him.

 

Another day we were driving to an outer suburb of Wau. There was a small body of water by the side of the road and I saw that people were washing trucks in it. I thought to myself 'that's interesting, I will need to get a photo of that next time I come past.' As we drove back the driver slowed down so I could get a photo. As I put my camera out the window the trucks had gone but there were about six men stark naked having a wash!

 

Yesterday while waiting at our office in Wau I thought I would be adventurous and go for a walk to the corner shop to get a bottle of water on my own. It is not that I feel unsafe but I am usually with a colleague. It is also an unusual sight to see a white person walking around Wau so I do get many stares, handshakes and children yelling out 'kawaja' meaning white person.

 

An older lady stopped me in the street and we did the usual greeting in Arabic and managed to exchange names. She continued to talk to me in Arabic, saying the same thing over and over. I repeated 'No Arabic' and shrugged my shoulders. She then leant towards me and firmly touched both of my breasts. I have no idea what she was trying to say but I managed to get my bottle of water and get safely back to the office.