Moses and I just returned to Kenya after five months in South Sudan, It’s been an exciting experience, very informative and enabled us to learn and share our skills with the Nasir county community.

This was a continuation of the project we started last year through a generous gift from Pam and Pierre Omidyar. We wish to express our utmost thanks to the Omidyar family for funding this project that has been successful and a gift to the community in South Sudan. We are grateful to the staff of O.net who made this project a success. To the O.net community members, we appreciate your overwhelming support which was a great source of encouragement.

This thread offers a glimpse of our experiences in Sudan. It will focus on the wider issues affecting the lives of southerners and gives you (the reader) an idea of the actual situation in the region. Moses and I are trainers and we conduct teacher training, supervise the teachers as well as teaching at the schools in Nasir County. A comprehensive report detailing our activities, giving the statistics and photographs will be out soon. The report will largely focus on education while also linking the issues I have discussed below to the education sector.

EDUCATION

During the many years of conflict in South Sudan, education has been neglected as food and health concerns took precedent to save lives. The results have been an illiterate society while only a few found their way to Ethiopia and Kenya to access education as refugees. Despite the recent peace deal that ended the 21 years conflict, the instability in South Sudan continues to discourage IDP’s and refugees from returning home. UNHCR has been involved in bringing refugees and IDP’s to the region from the refugee camps. The issue of returnees has created an urgent need to address the existing need for education.

Constructions of schools, provision of scholastic materials and training of teachers have become challenges to the community towards the realization of an educated society. NCDA (Nasir Community Development Agency) through funds from CARE has been constructing schools while UNICEF provides scholastic materials for most schools in South Sudan. Teachers are very few and our project aims at training effective teachers to impart basic literary skills to children in this region. Currently, some schools have as low as 3 trained teachers yet the Teacher: pupil ratio is sometimes as high as 1:100. In this year’s project, we trained 33 teachers who underwent an in-service course and have since been teaching in the 12 schools in the Nasir county.

Schools here do not have basic facilities like desks and books for some classes are not available. Class rooms are few and a majority of pupils learn under trees and they strain a lot since they have to write on their laps while sitting on the ground. In the few classes, pupils are usually congested and the effectiveness of a teacher is greatly reduced.

Children growing up in this area encounter a lot of hardships in their quest for education. Some children come from distant locations and end up trekking a long distance to school. Temperatures in the dry season soar as high as 40oC and they have to endure the scorching sun, the region is swampy in the wet season and they walk in dangerous paths inhabited by dangerous snakes. Two pupils have been unfortunate in the recent past; one lost an arm while the other his leg after they were bitten by snakes on their way to school.

Since we began training teachers and teaching in the local schools, education has been embraced in this region in contrast to two years ago where schools were non existence. We have been aggressively been involved in streamlining education, encouraged regular school attendance and implemented the south Sudan school curriculum. In the recent past, school enrollment has steadily increased and more people are seeking training to become teachers. The training module created by SRD (Sudan Relief and Development) aims at making the learning process more enjoying and less straining, as a result a school has become a popular place for pupils. The civil way led to loss of numerous lives, many children lost their parents and are being taken care of by the extended family. The school offers a good atmosphere for socialization that makes up for the lost parental love and connection in a way.

The future of education development in the region lies in the hand of aid agencies to come forth and support the innocent children to acquire education. Supply of scholastic materials like children story books and writing materials is an urgent need. The continuation of the teacher training program will be a wonderful idea towards making education sustainable in the sense that more teachers will be available.

WOMEN & DEVELOPMENT

Women in Africa cannot be said to enjoy equal privileges with their male counterparts. Progress has however been made in some countries but men have continued to dominate the political and domestic arenas. Women in South Sudan have suffered greatly as a result of the many years of civil war. Apart from losing their husbands and sons who went to battle fields, they have been solely responsible for upbringing their children in difficult circumstances.

The Nuer (the tribe in the region) culture just like many African indigenous cultures holds low regard for women in society. The view that a woman’s place is the kitchen continues to be enforced by men in this region. To many, the expectations on women are outdated; a man is expected to walk ahead as women and children follow…not besides each other, men eat first and once they have had their fill, women and children can eat. They are never consulted in any community initiatives and a woman is not expected to offer ideas or address any gathering.

Soldiers make up for the high percentage of the population given that almost any man is a soldier. Women do all the house hold duties and cultivation. They mud and thatch the huts, fence their compounds, wash, clean, cook, milk the cows, plant and harvest their crops. Girls have become important helpers to women at the expense of their education pursuits.

Educating girls is one of the biggest education challenges facing the people of South Sudan in general. Girl’s enrollment in school is very low and many continue to drop out at alarming rates. Cultural practices have overshadowed attempts to promote and advocate for girl child education. Early and arranged marriages for girls in the 14 – 16 age brackets are a common phenomenon. The impetus perhaps is the thirty cows paid as dowry to the girl’s father. Young girls are sometimes arranged for marriages to old men as long as they have cows in this polygamous tribe. Girls who have been married off while in school have made attempts to come back to school; however, they have been unsuccessful especially when they become pregnant.

Poverty does contribute greatly to fewer opportunities for girls as more demands are placed upon them. Wealth is measured in terms of the number of cattle a family has and the more poor a family is, the earlier a girl is married off in order to receive the dowry. Measures aimed at enhancing food security, access to clean water and advocacy are means to realizing equal boys and girls in school.

South Sudan is realizing peace slowly and people are having settled lifestyles. The current trend is that the community is opening its eyes and the current enrollment of girls in grade 1 and 2 is encouraging. During our initial project last year, we were joined by two female colleagues whose regular ‘girl talks’ with girls in school continue to inspire them. My dream for this region is that of a gender conscious society that approaches development issues on a gender balanced platform. Such a dream can be realized through continued sensitization of the need for girls to go to school and regular interaction with the community.

AGRICULTURE & LIVESTOCK

This sector is the driving force of many economies in the Africa continent. The rich alluvial soils and tropical weather offers a good environment for crop production. In South Sudan, a great potential for agriculture exists and remain untapped. The civil war resulted in constant displacement of people who consequently could not settle down and engage in meaningful farming.

The availability of arable land is not really a problem, as it may be in other African countries with population explosion, vast tracks of fertile land is visible especially through an aerial view of the region. In major locations, people live in villages while cultivation is done in distant locations, the land immediately after the villages’ forms the common grazing field for cattle. Vegetables, sorghum and maize are commonly cultivated.

The climate of this region restricts farming to a single season, rain falls in June through to November and it is enough to support most crops to maturity. Rains are heavy and crops take few months to mature since temperatures are relatively high too during this season. We experimented on different crops during our five months program and indeed we could pick a watermelon from the garden everyday yet no one had ever thought they could grow in the region. The dry season starts in February; the temperatures are so high that all the grass dries up and the clay soil cracks. People migrate to the river banks with their herds of cattle and only return when the wet season begins.

This kind of climate favors cattle keeping and nomadic lifestyle. The community has quite an attachment with cows and its part and parcel of their well being. It is common to find a child waking up early in the morning and sucking milk directly from the cow. Priority when making a compound is given to the cattle whereby a large hut is built between other huts to accommodate them. Cow dung is usually burned throughout the night to keep the animals free from mosquitoes. Donkeys are a valuable mode of transport especially in the wet season.

WFP is the leading agency in the Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) and specifically addresses the food crisis in the entire South Sudan. It also offers logistical support especially flights for other NGO’s operating in the region. Millions of metric tones of food are delivered to needy people year in year out. Whereas food aid has in the past saved numerous lives of the starving population, it is admissible that continued food aid will be a disincentive to production. Efforts should now be channeled to measures aimed at improving farming methods and provision of seed since it will result in sustainable development. Some people openly admitted that they were not cultivating their own food because they were expecting food drops from WFP.

The current agricultural practice is small scale and for subsistence since there are no trade networks that have been established for selling farm produce. Crude farm tools are still used in farming which discourages farming of large tracks of land since they are very tiring. The community requires education on farming techniques, provision of seeds and tools so that in future they can be independent. A frequent outbreak of cattle diseases is a major community concern and animal drugs are inaccessible.

The future is bright for the current generation but efforts are needed to empower the communities to be able to tap the agricultural potential. The land offers more than agriculture since precious minerals remains unexploited. In addition, ‘the black gold’- oil which has been a major reason for the 21 years dispute is yet to be fully explored and drilled. The region has been unstable in the past but when peace finally dawns completely, the sky will be the limit for South Sudan.

WATER & SANITATION

The Upper Nile region can be classified as an arid and semi arid region. It receives rain only in the wet season (June – December) and the other months are usually very dry.

During the dry season, cattle are taken to the river banks and few people remain in the villages. Boreholes have been sunk in these villages but people still opt to use water the collects on the ground especially because boreholes are few and usually far away.

Water is the biggest single factor that affects settlements. A village comes to being whenever a borehole is sunk in any area. The community is responsible for maintaining the borehole but poverty has led to some boreholes being deserted when they break up.

A single borehole usually serves a large population and is it usual to find it being overcrowded. Poor sanitation has resulted from the scarcity of this precious commodity. Personal hygiene is not upheld, some people only take a bath with a cupful of water while children stop by the water pools on their way to school to clean themselves.

The community requires education on water conservation and purifying methods to eradicate water contamination. Soap is the largest single commodity that most people especially women begs for. Poverty does play a big role in poor sanitation since lack of soap and items for handling water remain scarce.

In Nasir County, Nasir town is an area with the highest population density. This region witnessed heavy fighting and it had its infrastructure completely destroyed. It is regarded a town but it strikes a picture of a big village to a first time visitor since there is no infrastructure. I had an opportunity to visit the town and the problem of sanitation is quite evident. There are neither garbage collection services nor proper disposal of human wastes.

The town is located on the banks of river Sobat, a very wide river upon which the population in the town derive their water. The river also links the town with the bigger Malakal town (the HQs of Upper Nile region) and Ethiopia since it is navigable. It is also a source of fish, a delicacy for the local communities. It is common to find children swimming and bathing, women washing and animals’ drinking water upstream while others fetching the commodity down stream. A cholera outbreak in the town recently claimed several lives.

The problem of sanitation is real in all spheres of life in the communities; from food preparation, handling, human waste disposal, disposal of litter and human hygiene. Cultural expectations and practices have in the past overshadowed attempts to educate the community on proper sanitation. There are few pit-latrines and most people relive themselves in the bush. Women are not expected to visit a pit latrine especially if it is also used by men. Issues of excretion are taboo and people are not expected to talk about them openly; so much so that if one mentioned to a father in law about digging a pit latrine, the person would be fined one cow. It is common practice that when a man or woman found a potential suitor relieving themselves, the two cannot engage in courtship unless either caught the other in the same act.

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Health ranks among the top ten community priorities in the region. The major health problems are Malaria and water borne diseases. ADRA runs primary health care units in the area but the introduction of cost sharing arrangements have hindered a majority of people from seeking medical attention. Immunization campaigns have been undertaken with less success because the communities are ignorant of their benefits. Illnesses that can be avoided through immunization like polio are thus common.

The climate of the Upper Nile region makes the inhabitants susceptible to tropical diseases like malaria which alone accounts for over 60% of inpatients during the wet season. There have been recent outbreak of yellow fever and people traveling to the region are advised to get vaccination against the diseases. Kalazaar is a common disease in the area that is transmitted by the sand fly; the disease has claimed numerous lives in the recent past. Pregnant mothers and children remain vulnerable to these diseases because most people lack access to mosquito nets that can prevent them from mosquito and sand flies.

A snake is one reptile that has caused great suffering to the people living in Upper Nile. There exist many types of dangerous snakes that are biting people everyday, the bush like conditions encourage the breeding of these reptiles. Snake bites are a major health concern and poor response mechanisms have rendered victims’ lives at great risk. Some victims have lost their limbs after failing to receive urgent medical attention. Lack of gumboots is a major reason for snake and scorpion bites in the area. Anti-venoms are not available and ICRC has ended their emergency evacuations living the people very vulnerable.

Water being the scarce commodity it is in this region, diseases associated with poor hygiene are very common. Diarrhea is a health condition experienced by many people especially because of food and water contamination. Recent Cholera outbreaks have claimed numerous lives and overcrowding in the villages have led to the spread of such an outbreak. Eye infections especially on children are common due to the presence of many flies brought about by poor waste disposal and the cattle keeping culture.

The 21 year civil war claimed many lives and those who were lucky to survive and escape with injuries lead a miserable life. Many people have bullets still lodged in their bodies but cannot afford to pay for medical attention. One of my grade 4 students had a bullet injure his spinal cord and recently he has had a failing eye sight. A high number of victims of war and snake bites require artificial limbs to make their lives better.

The region is relatively flat and is characterized by clay soil. Heavy rains usually cuts off the region from other parts as swamps form around the villages. Walking in itself becomes a hard task since the sticky mud feels like 10kgs on each leg. Mosquitoes breed rapidly in the surrounding swamps causing suffering to the residents.

Temperatures reach as high as 40oC can be experienced in the dry season. The high temperatures cause heat rush especially to visitors and renders working in the afternoon almost impossible. One would expect the wind blowing to give a good breeze but interestingly the air blowing is usually very hot. Sleeping in the huts at night is very uncomfortable and most people prefer to sleep outside.

Grass and clay soil are the resources available to make huts for the local population. Stones are not found in Upper Nile and this makes building schools very expensive since materials have to be brought from far locations. Even digging a pit latrine is not an easy task because the soil can cave in and therefore pit latrine liners are required and they are not accessible to most people. Felling of trees in the region is a major environmental concern since firewood is the only source of fuel.

The health and environmental challenges are hard to tackle since most of the issues are as a result of natural occurrences. Provision drugs, mosquito nets, gumboots can make the lives of people in this region bearable.

SECURITY

The signing of the Comprehensive peace agreement signaled a new beginning for southerners who have suffered for many years. The main factions in the 21 year conflict, the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army were integrated to form the Joint Integrated Unit. However, despite the cease fire, peace is yet to fully dawn on the local population. Disgruntled elements with the armed forces and others that were never integrated have launched isolated military attacks in relatively peaceful regions.

During our stay in the area, we were unfortunate to be victims of an armed raid in the village we were residing in. The village came under attack at mid night; we had been psychologically prepared of the impending attack since the village’s military intelligence unit had intercepted radio communication and got wind of the planned attack. An exchange of fire ensued when the attackers drove in and we were forced to flee to a hideout in a village far away. Luckily they were overpowered and the situation normalized after two days. Tension had built up before and after the attack and people had started deserting the village.

Similar incidents have been reported in different areas and people are being killed ruthlessly. Senior ranking military personnel have been known to control parallel forces that they use to execute their wishes. NGO’s are being forced to evacuate their staff when such incidents occur. A similar skirmish was reported in Nasir town that is only 45 minutes by car from the village we were residing in (Kiech kuon). People were killed and the aid agency MSF had to evacuate their staff from the town.

The Nuer tribe is a cattle keeping tribe who practice nomadic lifestyle in the sense that during the dry season, the cattle are taken to the river banks. The two major clans, the Lou and the Jikany have had rivalry for a long time. Cattle rustling between these two clans are common and every year people die during cattle raids. Sometimes the conflict results from competition for space in the river banks where their animals can access grass and water.

During the dry season, as traders from the North traverse the vast southern territory in trucks full of trade merchandise, many have been robbed by armed and unruly soldiers some of whom are children. The proliferation of arms especially the AK-47 machine and pistols is a serious security concern. Drunk soldiers shooting anyhow, people using the arms to settle personal and domestic disputes, some attempting suicides is a great threat to security. The New Government has started an ambitious move to disarm the communities but the move is receiving resistance in some regions already.

Landmines pose another threat to the people in the region and especially those living in Nasir town. The UN Mission in Sudan has tried to de-mine the area but they are yet to clear the entire area. Numerous anti-personnel mines remain lodged in the ground posing risk to unsuspecting passersby’s. Some bombs used during aerial bombardments are yet to explode and there are no anti-ballistic personnel to detonate them. Crude methods of warfare were employed against innocent victims, a barrel full of explosives plus iron machetes, slates, broken glasses and needles would be dropped in a populated village by government jets. Upon exploding, these assorted weapons would fly all over claiming a high number of casualties. Dummy soaps would be sent floating in the rivers and would explode in the hands of unsuspecting local people.

Security concerns need to be addressed to create a good environment for IDP’s and refugees to return to their homeland. The health workers and teachers in the region double up as soldiers and during times of fighting, such activities take a back seat as people try to defend themselves.