I have started a new blog to mark a new phase in my life in Nimule, South Sudan. Previously I lived at Cornerstone Children's Home. While there, I started a small school for children from families with HIV/AIDS or other disabilities and for orphans who are from families who cannot afford school fees. The school is run jointly between myself and two local charities, Cece (a support group for people with HIV/AIDS) and HUMAES (a community based organisation which aims to improve life for the poorest people in the town. You can read more about my experiences up to this point on this link.
I left Cornerstone Children’s Home four weeks ago, taking a
taxi with all my luggage to Calvary Chapel, a mission run by Far Reaching
Ministries for the purpose of evangelising the Sudan People’s Liberation Army
(SPLA) through a chaplaincy training programme.
It was a strange shift, moving from an orphanage, full of the noise of
children, to a barracks, full of the noise of soldiers and construction work. It was an almost totally male
environment. Everyone was very friendly
but also very busy. The food was a
welcome relief from the monotonous diet at Cornerstone and I put on some much
needed weight.
The move to Calvary Chapel was necessary because the pastors
at Cornerstone had decided that my help was no longer needed now I am no longer
teaching at Cornerstone School. I have
promised to return every weekend to visit and teach the orphanage children, so
that they don’t feel that I’ve disappeared out of their lives. After two and a half years there, it must
have been very difficult for the children, particularly the little ones, for
whom I was ‘part of the furniture’. Most
of the little ones arrived during my stay there.
On 19th March my room in Pascalina’s compound was
finally ready after a major refurbishment.
It is newly roofed, with a brand new window and door, and freshly
painted. As soon as I had dropped off my
luggage I went out again to buy myself the necessities of life: a plastic wash
basin, mattress, sheets and mosquito net.
The bed had to be made specially as there is no such thing as a
furniture shop in Nimule. It arrived
yesterday and is locally made of metal with a woven string surface.
After my shopping expedition, I came back to find that a
feast had been prepared to celebrate my arrival. As well as Pascalina’s family, members of
HUMAES and Cece and teachers from the school came to help celebrate.
Since my arrival in South Sudan two and a half years ago, I
hadn’t had a chance to cook. I missed it
badly. I cooked for the whole family for
the first time, last Sunday. It was a
fish and lentil risotto, which went down extremely well. All cooking is on charcoal, so is far less
controllable than gas or electricity. It
will take a while to get used to it.
Like Cornerstone, water has to be carried from a local borehole. The water is not as good as Cornerstone’s so
the family add ‘Water Guard’, a chlorine solution, to water destined to be
drunk. The result is like drinking
swimming pool water, but never mind, it is better than getting typhoid or
cholera.
The great benefit of this move is that the Cece/HUMAES
office is right next to my bedroom. We
will be able to work together much more easily on plans for the school. The office has electricity for a larger part
of the day than at Cornerstone. There
will be no more long uphill walks to get home in the sweltering heat. It is also closer to the school and church
and very close to the local market. The
only downside is the internet access, which is almost non-existent. However, the school has a good signal, so I
will still be able to access it there.
It has been possible to do all my moving at the weekends, so
my teaching at the school has not been interrupted.
