Sarah In Uganda

I have been neglecting you!

2009-09-29T08:51:00.007Z

Since the advent of Facebook I have been rubbish at posting photos and stories here. But as not everyone is my Facebook friend I will attempt an update.
I have so far built 25 kilometres of road in Karamoja; employed over a thousand people; and been sick several times!
This is a road we finished back in July.

Since then I have been on holiday to Israel and Palestine with these lovely people:It was a fantastic experience. A nightmare to get into and out of the country with my Sudanese visas but well worth the trip.

and then back to Uganda to hack through the bush for road number 2:

Funding is starting to run out for projects where we are. It looks likely that we'll have to pack up and leave in the first half of next year. This is despite failed harvests, Hepititus E outbreaks and potential El Nino rains.

I'll leave you with this photo of the international staff team I work with. This was taken at a weekend away in a safari park near our base. I am so blessed to be here!

Building the road

2009-06-10T16:03:00.003Z

Alone in Abim

2009-04-23T16:27:00.001Z

I am at a new base for the next 3 months. The setting is beautiful and the work really interesting but it’s quite lonely as there’s no one else at the base just now. I am hoping for lots of visitors to start arriving.

We’re had some great community meetings and next week run out first Disaster Risk Reduction workshop. It’s a chance for the community to understand where they are vulnerable and what capacities they have to withstand the shocks that come their way.

After the workshop we’ll begin rehabilitating a road to hopefully open up some new markets to these villages, provide some much needed work to returning communities and make it easier for the WFP food deliveries to arrive.

All in a day’s work…

work and rest

2009-04-06T14:28:00.002Z

The great news is we distributed seeds to farmers before the rains. It was hard work at times but a great team effort pulled it off. It should make a difference in producing more food this year which important as there's always a gap when last year's food has run out and next year's food isn't quite ready.

And now I am in Kampala for rest over Easter. I am too tired to do much with my time here so am catching up with a marathon 3 series of Prison Break. It's my first break without friends to share it with and it's not nearly as much fun or restful on my own.

Settling in

2009-02-27T13:30:00.000Z

I am coming towards the end of my first month. In general things are 100 times easier than Darfur but on the other hand I walked into Darfur as an ongoing project that I just had to pick up. This project is completely new, to Medair, to me and to Karamoja. I’m still trying to get a team together and am borrowing staff for a few days here and there to get things done.

The people I’ve met all seem really positive about the project so I hope when we get fully up and running that enthusiasm will convert to real support for our work.

Next week, Monday to be exact, I will meet my first community groups to discuss working for seeds and tools. It will be a real make or break time as all the planning in the world comes nothing if the community don’t get behind it. But I’m optimistic!

Context

2009-02-11T07:01:00.000Z

I have now landed in Kaabong the northern most district of the Karamoja region. I am slowly learning about the context of where I will be working and getting some grasp of what I’ll be doing. Though it’s going to take a long time to get on top of things.

I thought you might like to know more about where I’m working. The Karamajong are traditionally cattle herders though there is some agriculture too. Cattle raiding has been accepted as a way of life for a very long time and was done peacefully for the most part. When spears were replaced with AK-47s not so much changed as no one bothered to fight someone who also had a gun. And then the disarmament started and some had guns, others didn’t, raids became more violent.

Combine that with a region liable to droughts and flooding, susceptible to animal diseases and slowly breaking down systems of traditional leadership lives Karamoja in need of assistance form the outside world.

My project is part of a wider horn of Africa food price crises response. Essentially people can no longer afford to buy what little food is in the markets. It also encompasses disaster risk reduction as communities decide what they need to minimise the impact of future crises. A lot of my project is cash for work so people have more money in their pockets, there’s also some seeds and tools distributions and construction of infrastructure such as roads linking market towns.

I think I’m going to like living here. I am recruiting a team to work with me at the moment and look forward to getting to know them. And I have three dogs for company, which makes me very happy!

I’ll let you know more as and when I know more myself.

some good news about the schools

2008-11-23T10:21:00.000Z

You will have seen the storm damage when I posted the photos a few months ago. There has been some progress and some happy children’s faces.

I’m counting down to my final couple of weeks so hope that I’ll be able to post many more pictures that tell some good news stories.

A big catch up

2008-10-26T15:58:00.004Z

Huge apologies for those of you who try to read my blog. It's a site I cannot access inside Sudan so my updates have to wait until my holidays.
So since my last entry there was the horrible attack in July. No need to go into details as it's not the appropriate forum but if you want to know more then please email me.
I've been back in country for a little over two months since then and it's tough being back. Everything seems that bit more stressful than it did before. Even the mundane day to day things. But with time people are healing and we are slowly starting work again. The impact of us not working for about 6 weeks was massive so it will take time to build up trust again with the community. That works both ways.
I'm on r&r at the moment in Vienna and Prague. It's been nice to get out of Africa for a while and Vienna was beautiful.
I finish this contract in Darfur in mid-December but have signed up for another 18 months as a technical advisor. As a promotion it means new and exiting challenges that I'm really looking forward to. Not sure how I feel about staying in Darfur but for now the decision is made. The big change will be from directly implementing projects and working with my national staff team to working alongside and advising those who are doing the implementing. So lots of training, which I love, and more strategic work. Will keep you posted on how that goes.
And finally, there's lots in the news this week about both Darfur and Afghanistan. I'd encourage you to remember that these things are always happening whether they feature in the news or not and not to worry about us unnecessarily but it's great to know that people care.

Storms

2008-06-11T12:06:00.000Z

We’ve had some bad storms here this week and as the photos showed they did some damage. These are the remants of two of the local schools. It was quite hearth-breaking to see. The good news is that it is the school holidays and term doesn’t start until July 25^th so we have a few weeks to mobilise the community into putting it back together.

I also received a unique insight into this conflict from a colleague the other day. He told me that women from the town had predicted the starte of the war because unusually heavy rainfall had combined with high numbers of biting ants that year or something like that. You can mock but I guess they were right!

And some photos...

2008-06-05T09:07:00.000Z

A rare update!

2008-06-05T09:00:00.000Z

I apologise profusely for being slack at updating. Maybe it’s because I thought I would see most people I know in the month of May anyway and an update in person is always that bit more meaningful.

After a month in Holland/England I am back in Sudan. And the good news is that security had improved enough in the time that I was away to allow us access back to our base.

A couple of things have changed since we were last here on April 1^st mostly importantly my tukul (little hut) has a new roof ready for the rainy season.

I admit that coming back was very hard. It’s not that I necessarily wanted to stay in the UK but leaving people behind is always hard and I guess I was a little overwhelmed with what I have to do in my remaining 7 months here. Sounds like a long time but I’ve been back a week and not achieved much so not starting too well! And of course in the month I was away my team achieved very little. That said, we are now on with digging the pits for some new school latrines, getting school building designs agreed with the Ministry of Education and having lots and lots of community meetings to start up new projects.

Yet again

2008-04-04T11:31:00.000Z

Tuesday last we were evacuated again, the second time this year. Fighting broke out in Chad just across the border. After about an hour it became apparent they were heavily armed and in it for the long-haul. It was at least 3 hours until any restbite came. As ever we are very grateful to the UNDSS team that evacuated us. We can only remain working where we do because of people like them supporting us. It’s frustrating not being able to continue our work but realise that’s the way it has to be.

And we remember the team members and their families that we leave behind. All are safe so far and we hope it stays that way.

I struggle to understand the mentality of peolpe who go to war when there appears no hope of them winning. The idea that a cause it that important it is worth dying for even though that death would not bring about any change makes no sense to me. Maybe it never will…

finishing off

2008-03-31T07:55:00.000Z

Today we start the last month of this project. It’s a great time to reflect on all the work we’ve done over the past 12 months and look forward to the future. As a watsan team we’ve built latrines, water points, laundry facilities, slaughter yards and 2 paediatric wards. The nutrition team have fed thousands of malnourished children and cared for many severely sick children. The health promotion team have educated the community on HIV/Aids, malaria prevention, immunisation, psycho-social support. They have also run activity centres where hundreds of children who are not able to attend school can belong as well as running youth clubs and women’s clubs.

When you step back and reflect it’s been a really good year. Apart from January/February this year security has been good. We’ve been able to reach the most vulnerable people. Even the village in which we live is changing day by day. It’s a good sign of optimism that new buildings are going up in the souk, even a vsat for mobile phone communications has been installed in the town.

But whilst reflecting on the past I like to keep one eye on the future. We will start some community sensitisation and mobilisation this month for the new projects. This generally means talking to community leaders about what we will be doing, encouraging their support and getting their feedback. I find our planned workload for next year a little overwhelming at times but try to remember all we can do is our best and the rest will take care of itself.

a very strange r&r

2008-03-18T20:32:00.000Z

Gillian and I made it to Port Sudan for a few days. We were booked for 4 days but after 3 asked the airline to fly us back early. That pretty much sums up our r&r! We went to the Sudan Red Sea Resort. And I think the word ‘resort’ may have been a slight exaggeration. It was essentially 10 tents pitched on top of an island in the sea. It was blowing gale-force winds and there was absolutely nothing to do. Perfect therefore for r&r you’d think but actually just a little stressful. So we’ve retreated back to the relative tranquillity of Khartoum. I’m hoping to head back to Darfur next week but I still don’t have a visa and I can’t travel there without one. I find the whole thing just demoralising. There is apparently a problem with my qualifications in terms of getting the work permit/stay visa and I cannot work out why. In terms of being a water and sanitation engineer I am actually quite well qualified so I guess it is actually a political decision that has very little to do with me. And that means I can’t change it and that means I’ll just have to wait here until the paperwork comes through. So I’ll sit and wait and try to stay positive.

Really hoping it all comes through in time for my leave in May. And if not I figure I’ll just do something to get myself deported. I have a few ideas already…!

and i'm outta here

2008-03-10T19:07:00.000Z

I’m flying to Khartoum tomorrow and SO excited. I’ve not needed a break this badly since I got here a year ago. Partly it’s because I’ve been in the field 10 weeks now, partly it’s because security has been pretty stressful and partly it’s end of year and we’re running around like crazy people trying to get things finished.

So I don’t get to go to Cape Town as planned but trying to stay positive and make the most of having a break wherever that may be.

I’ve got some great photos now our projects are starting to get finished and I’ll try to upload them whilst I’m in Khartoum.

Can you tell spot one is me?

2008-02-26T17:54:00.000Z

I love this picture. Mostly because I look ridiculously white amongst a sea of Sudanese faces. These are my water volunteers. They are supposed to take care of handpumps, clean them, fix them etc. But if I’m honest they are probably now a product of ‘aid culture’. You ask the community to take care of something you have given them and the first questions is “how much will you pay?” I say this to point out there are drawbacks to all the work agencies do here in Darfur. The immediate relief effort is not sustainable and as we move into a time a few years on the mistakes made in the beginning come back to haunt us…

Some photos, as requested...

2008-02-23T18:45:00.000Z

A couple of photos from the footie match.

Mesterei 4 UNAMID 0

2008-02-17T08:53:00.000Z

We arrived back in the field yesterday after 3 weeks being evacuated. It’s a great relief to everyone and although we don’t have full access yet, I am hopeful it will happen soon.

On the day we arrived a match had been planned between the village of Mesterei and the UNAMID peace keeping forces. We have a couple of good players who were invited to play on the side of Mesterei. At about 5 o’clock over a thousand people (all men plus me) turned up to watch the UNAMID team roll up in their tanks, very impressive entrance.

It was a great game, really good humoured and despite a very biased referee Mesterei won 4 goals to nil. I was sat next to the Major and commanding officer and they were not happy with their team’s performance at all – I think they were in for some hard drills this morning as punishment!

The best thing about it was definitely the community participation of these troops. Too many before have just sat in their barracks and made no attempt to become accepted by the community. These West African guys (Nigerian and Cameroonian) in one match transformed the way people though about them, me included.

So here’s hoping for more football and better access to the field. X

An update in case you are worried...

2008-02-04T11:30:00.000Z

I don’t have great communications here at the moment because whenever security is questionable all the mobile networks go down. So should anyone be worried I just wanted to reassure you that we are all ok for now.

We were evacuated from our field sites last Tuesday. The 12 hours preceding our departure were very stressful and the relief to set down here at base was immense. In the middle of a situation it is hard to get perspective and to fully understand who is fighting who. I have much more information now about what was happening and some things I think I am grateful for not knowing at the time. I apologise if I am vague about what happened but it’s not appropriate for me to put it on my blog, I will tell anyone who is interested though next time I see you.

We left behind one child who was in our care (who has since died) and about 60 staff who live in the villages where we work – so far all of our staff have remained safe. It’s very frustrating to be stuck here when there is so much work to be done. I know that in the long run it is better for us to be cautious and look after ourselves but still, I am keen to get back as soon as I can.

And keeping my staff busy here (where there is no work to do) is driving me crazy. Yesterday I did a training session for all the staff. We looked at gender sensitivity (i.e. making sure our programmes meet the needs of all sectors of society) and it was great fun. Lots of arguments and debates and no real conclusions but hopefully it at least got people thinking. And today I have thought us some pointless tasks for them to do. Not sure how long I can keep this up for…

We have finally been able to apply for new stay visas / work permits. It ran out on 31^st January so hoping the new one comes out quite soon. Always an added stress of being in Sudan.

But in case that was all negative, team life here is great. I have real support in my colleagues and friends and wouldn’t choose to swap them for all the peace and tranquillity in the world (or maybe I would…)!

Our team...

2008-01-25T06:55:00.000Z

There should be a team photo here, a view from the helicopter and a couple of the watsan team with a water storage tank (just to remind you of what I’m actually doing here!).

An experiment

2008-01-23T13:07:00.000Z

It seems I’m now blocked from publishing blogs (conspiracy theorists can tell me why that is) I just get some warning note in Arabic when I try. So this is an experiment to see if it works by the back door…

At last, some progress

We started work on a new hand dug well this week. We haven’t yet struck water but we know it is there. It’s good to get back to some construction work. It feels like all the proposal writing, whilst being worthwhile, made me forget what I’m here to do. The well is going to be about 10-12 metres deep. Essentially we cast concrete rings and then sink them into the ground by people digging underneath them. Sounds simple when I put it like that, actually it is, but very labour intensive.

The photo (if I work out how to put that on) is of a few members of my watsan team casting the first concrete ring.

The first round of proposal writing is done. Now it goes to London where they ask a thousand questions in order to get it exactly right. However much work we have done upfront there will always be questions, holes found in the strategies, conflicting data or whatever. It’s worth millions of pounds so makes sense to get it right.

This month seems to be flying by. But I’m also getting lots done so can’t complain.

New Year, New Challenges

2008-01-09T15:38:00.000Z

I’m back.

I really needed the rest over Christmas and had a great time but there is so much to do here that I am happy to be back too. I think the first few days in the UK were a bit of a culture shock, especially Christmas shopping at the Trafford Centre, but I had lots of time at my sister’s to sit and do nothing and get used to the cold weather again. But 2 ½ weeks at home was long enough to find it tough coming back here to Darfur. I’ve been here 4 days now and have reacquainted myself with the food, 10 mosquito bites and very cold showers.

So straight back in and lots to get done. Our year ends in April by which time I need to have completed:

Growing 22,000 trees (it’s completely the wrong season)

Constructing 1 more slaughter yard (I’m so bored of these now)

Building 1500 more household latrines (the challenge is getting the householders to do the work themselves)

Starting a waste collection system (can’t decide how to best look after the donkeys)

Dig 1 kilometre of drainage channel (not even thought about this yet)

Construct 152 laundry points (it took about a month to construct the first 8 so need to step this up a gear)

And build something from rammed earth bricks (no idea what).

But I thrive on challenges and in my head at least it seems achievable.

2008 is in front of me and I’m thinking that I mostly know what’s going to happen. I know what work will hold, I’ve semi-planned my holidays and as the food is the same every day here I even can guess what I’ll be eating. But I don’t like this predictability; need something exciting to happen too. You’d think living in Darfur would be exciting enough for most people but apparently not. But things never turn out exactly as you think so we’ll see…

My resolutions for 2008:

Go running at least once a week – this is one of those that I’ll probably break in the first month.

Get a better work-life balance – brought lots of dvds and books back with me to help.

Now I have admitted to these I guess the whole world can keep me accountable.

Here’s to 12 months of fun and rewarding hard work.

Going home... (but coming back)

2007-12-15T10:09:00.000Z

I fly home today. I am very, very excited. Slightly nervous about the cold weather but I'm sure i will soon acclimatise.

My planned activities include eating, shopping, sleeping and catching up with people. Think that pretty much covers it all.

So this is to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a great New Year.

I'll be back in 1441 (or 2008 to the rest of us).

xx

Training, Nomads and Chocolate

2007-11-16T07:44:00.000Z

I'm back from Kenya. Loved the training and really challenging. It was on best practice i.e. gender sensitive programming, conflict sensitivity, accountability etc. How do you have a genuinely gender balanced programme when the concept is alien in the community where you work? I'm not sure a few token women on a committee that sit there and say nothing quite cuts it!?! So lots to think about and lots more to do.

The photo is of the North Sudan team at training.

We've spent the last few days doing assessments outside of the towns where we work. Interesting stuff but again really challenging. As a general rule these people are not the most in need but that isn't to sat they have no needs. I've struggled to find compassion though for people who seem to be where they are through choice and not like the IDPs or refugees forced to live where/how they do. And you need to find some compassion or this work becomes very hard to do. Plus there's all sorts of being neutral in the conflict issues that make decisions even harder, like not legitimising settlements until all parties agree that it's ok. Meeting people is just the start and there's lots more to do in terms of turning this into realistic projects.

Finally, I am overdosing on chocolate thanks to the parcel Liz sent me and our newly installed fridge here in the field. Happy days ahead!

Kenya and podcasts

2007-10-31T10:48:00.000Z

I am off to Kenya on Sunday for training. About a week ago I was panicking about all the things that needed to be done and how I didn’t have time to go. But now I am thinking more selfishly and I’m really looking forward to it.

Today we have training for the WatSan team. It’s not wildly exciting stuff: record keeping, waste management, bio sand filters, but the team really enjoy learning new things. I think I sometimes underestimate how important it is for the team to feel invested in. Must make mental note to invest more; actually I think I don’t do badly. The team’s English has improved loads since I arrived but I’m told this is because I talk so much!

I have just discovered subscribing to podcasts. Not sure why it took me so long. Scott Mills daily from Radio 1 has had me laughing so loud people are wondering what is wrong. It’s great to have a taste of home. But the most interesting is the BBC World Service Africa Daily podcast. It’s great to hear the news of where I am from the perspective of the rest of the world. There’s lots of mention of peace talks, peace keepers etc which I am aware of here but it gives a little context. When we talk about peace keepers here it is in relation to possible increase in HIV/Aids or poaching of our staff. It’s great to be reminded occasionally that it is really all about stopping a war. I’m still not 100% convinced that the problems won’t increase before they decrease but greater men than I shall make these decisions about troops, UN, AU etc. I’ll just focus on my job.

Best go; some eager minds are waiting for my pearls of wisdom…

psyching myself up...

2007-10-20T14:12:00.000Z

I fly back tomorrow and despite not having left Sudan I feel like it is a bit of a wrench to go back. I need to psyche myself up and get into my head that I can do this. It's funny but being here does drain your confidence a little. My aim before Christmas is to finish 3 slaughter yards and start another from scratch. Construct 160 laundry points and get 1000 nomadic households to start treating their water. Doesn't seem impossible does it?!?

I have just stocked up on loads of snacks so at least I'll be eating well for the next few weeks...

back to the bush!

2007-10-18T09:20:00.000Z

I've got a couple of days left here in Khartoum before I head back. At the moment I'm kind of dreading it though not sure why. I think I'm probably just a bit overwhelmed by all I have to do in the space between now and Christmas. I set myself the target that all the infrastructure would be complete by then and there is some stuff that I haven't even started. I think I need to find a way of inspiring my team to kick up a gear. Any ideas??

I've really enjoyed my time In Khartoum. Tearfund retreat was good fun though not necessarily restful! I also went up to the pyramids (weird and bad 80's restoration) which was cool just to be tourist here. I didn't opt for the camel ride as the 7 hour round trip in the back of a Land Cruiser was about all my back could take!

Hope to find somewhere good to watch the rugby this weekend, though choices are limited. I guess if England win it won't matter where I watch it. Here's hoping...

Almost forgot to say I had Sudanese coffee this week. This is not just a drink but an event. It took about 4 hours from starting with washing and roasting and grinding the beans to the caffine induced dancing at the end. All great fun. So if when I'm at home I invite you for coffee you better set aside a good proportion of your day. Anyone for instant?!?

we are retreating

2007-10-12T14:08:00.000Z

We are currently on Tearfund retreat. Emails are banned. No one mentioned blogs or FaceBook so I think that's ok.

Everyone is out playing ultimate frizbee but my back is not good today so I'm back at the flat having some time out.

I'm going to head up to the pyramids on Tuesday. Really looking forward to some of the interesting things Sudan has to offer apart from war and poverty!

I'm feeling rested today. I hope it lasts...

Positivity

2007-10-10T12:45:00.000Z

OK. So I am done with being negative about all the things wrong in Darfur. It's enough to depress anyone. Plus with my birthday tomorrow I will be one year older and wiser and so need to think positively.

I hear some IDPs/refugees may chose to come home after Eid. This will not be a mass exodus but if a few people are feeling safe enough to go home then this is something to celebrate. It should also increase the skills base from which I can get some new staff thus making my life easier. I really hope they will be safe and be able to stay and rebuild their lives and do some healing.

Tomorrow I am off to Khartoum. Life in the big city is definitley something to be happy about.

And despite being 31 tomorrow, I weigh less than I did when I was 21. In our twisted western society this is a good thing; in Africa it's a very bad thing indeed. Whatever my own thoughts there is nothing I can do about it so I will choose to celebrate it!

How long will the extra positive me last? Not sure but it's necessary to counteract all the miserable people around me! Don't worry only 2 days of fasting to go...

Preparing for Eid

2007-10-04T11:01:00.000Z

It will come as no surprise to tell you that I have not enjoyed Ramadan; but Eid, I think I could get into that. Apparently they have not yet decided when it will start, which is making planning very difficult for us as employers! It sounds not unlike Christmas with all the build up and last minute preparations. People take the day off work to buy all the food and buy new clothes. The thought of it is actually making me look forward to Christmas even more. I have this idea that shops back home are already full of cards and toys to buy. Personally I will be spending Eid (and my birthday) in the biggest city Darfur has to offer. I have been assured that all the ‘missing’ cards from the UK have arrived and I’m looking forward to opening them all and probably crying a bit as I miss you all so much!

On a completely different note, one of my staff came to me yesterday to say that he needed the day off as his 10-month old nephew was about to die. When I asked what was wrong with him I was told he had a chest infection. It made me so angry to think a baby could die of a simple chest infection for lack of good medical care. And it isn’t as if they don’t have a clinic here, they do but there are no doctors, no diagnostic equipment and a reluctance of people to get treated. Tragic is the only word I can think of for it.

And things here don’t seem so safe anymore. There is a general pessimism (born of years of experience) that this relative tranquillity cannot last for long but we’ll have to see…

things that are stressing me

2007-09-27T00:31:00.000Z

It’s 1 am and I can’t sleep. Neither can Betsy. Neither can the guard but that’s his job. It’s either the heat or the stress or a combination of both.

I came to base for a week to hold some interviews for a community liaison worker. We had some great candidates and got to the day before interviews and the officials decided to obstruct me. Can’t really say who or how but essentially there are people who do not want us to be here and enjoy making our lives difficult. There seems to be little concept of the fact that we might actually want to help people. So anyway, we’re now jumping through various hoops for them even though we are not entirely sure what those hoops are. And in the meantime I cannot recruit my extra staff that I deperately need.

My other major source of stress is flights. I somehow have to get 26 staff out of the field in time for Eid on a helicopter that seats 15. Yes, that task is as impossible as it seems. Sure I’ll find a solution though. I tried blackmailing the man in charge of air operations here, I have yet to see whether that was successful!

It’s great to be spending some time with Betsy here. She leaves Darfur (possibly for an even more dangerous country!) in a few weeks. So this week is more like our R&R in Zanzibar than actual work. I haven’t laughed so much in ages…

Booked some flights home for Christmas today. I still have absolutely no idea whether I can get out of the country but it’s good to be optimistic and plan ahead.

My birthday’s in 2 weeks and already I received some great parcels from home. Thank you so much. I feel very loved!

Fasting

2007-09-14T09:40:00.000Z

I decided to fast for Ramadan today. I thought Friday would be a good day as I could sleep through it. So far I have given in and had a sip of water and brushed my teeth. I’m not going to fast for the whole month but I wanted to partake to understand what the team were going through. No water in this heat is tough. The up side is that food during Ramadan (after dark of course) is really nice food. Lots of nice juices and sweet soups. It’s probably still not food I would choose at home but a change is as good as a holiday they say. Also what is nice is that the evening has a really sociable atmosphere. People stay up talking late into the night so that they can eat and drink enough to get them through the next day. The down side is that during the day the dehydration, nicotine withdrawal and low blood sugar levels makes everyone very sensitive. Two of my staff have already told me I had upset them (still can’t really work out why/how) and we’re only 30 hours in! Only 29 days to go!!

A day in the life.

2007-09-06T12:59:00.000Z

Would you believe the original of this was even longer! I hope that it gives you a little idea or what life is like here for me.

I get up around 7.15am. Before then it is still quite dark outside. But when the sun comes up it comes up quickly and unlike the UK it is the same time every day. Most of my staff got up earlier for prayers, I think it’s at 6am but I’ve never been up in time to see! But then they go back to bed and crawl out at about 8.

In one of our locations I have my own little brick and thatched room. But it’s very hot inside so we only sleep inside in the rainy season. Sleeping outside is just beautiful under the stars.

The showers in some places are pretty good, a bucket attached to a shower head. But in others there’s just a bucket. You’d be amazed at how quickly you adapt to such things. I can wash my hair and myself in half a bucket of water. At home I never would have managed but when it’s your only option… Oh, and the water is cold unless it’s the height of summer.

Every morning without fail we have porridge made with water (or some dried milk powder if you’re lucky). I was never a big porridge fan before I came here and when I leave I swear I will never eat it ever again. But again, when it’s your only option…

Twice a week we can move to other villages, we have 4 in all. The helicopter flies between them on Tuesday’s and Saturday’s. I travel at least once a week sometimes twice. I find the travel really exhausting. The pilots are always Bulgarian or Russian because the helicopters themselves are Russian and I guess they need to be able to read the instruction book!?!

Whenever we travel we have to spend time finding out about security. You listen to rumours in the market, go and see some officials (they always say things are ok whether they are or not). You have to work out if someone stealing someone’s camel will escalate or if there are build ups of rebels, where they will attack from. It can be very confusing at times and it’s mostly guess work anyway. I don’t pretend to understand all the different players in the conflict and how you can distinguish them by subtle clothing differences. A lot of the time it is just gut instinct, avoiding risks and listening to your staff.

My working day is probably much like anyone else’s. I download my emails with a small portable satellite, I write proposals, manage budgets, manage my team. It’s quite varied in that I have to do everything related to my sector. As we have 5 locations and 6 ex-pats I am on my own a lot of the time. You’re never really alone as the national staff team also live and work in the same place but it can still feel lonely at times.

I’ll probably go and have a look at the progress of some of our construction work as a bit of a trip out the office. We travel about in Landcruisers when it is safe to have vehicles but in other locations we just use horse carts or walk.

There is real interaction with the customers or “beneficiaries” as they’re known here. And if I came here to receive thanks and praise for my work I came to the wrong place! They are always complaining that we are not doing enough and listing their demands. You have to develop a thick skin because they are receiving our services for free and if we weren’t here they would have much less. Sometimes when you are tired and stressed then you may start to take it personally but that doesn’t help. Mostly they complain about water that it isn’t clean. We provide enough clean water for the whole community but if they choose to get it from a dirty source then I cannot help that.

Fatur (literally translates as breakfast but we eat it at 1pm) is my least favourite meal. We all eat together off communal plates with our hands. There’s no point in me observing good hygiene if the other 10 people sharing my plate don’t have the same standards. We normally get fried goat (mostly fat, very little meat), probably some kind of okra stew (okra has the consistency of slime when you boil it), maybe another goat type of stew and rice or spaghetti made with sugar for dessert. Everything is eaten with bread that is made on the ground so it is gritty from the sand. I cannot think of anything good to say about the food in Sudan. What I wouldn’t give for a bacon sandwich…!

We work officially 8.30 – 4.30 six days a week. Sometimes it’s more.

After work there is no where to go. The accommodation is at the office so you move from one room to another and that is the commute – 1 minute. If it is safe you could go for a walk. There’s not anywhere beautiful to walk but sometimes getting out the office is enough. I try to read books, watch dvds on my computer etc to relax and forget about work. It’s not always easy and there are only so many times you can watch the same film without it sending you mad. And when it’s dark it is best not to have your computer on as you become a magnet for bugs, and the bugs are vicious.

It gets dark about 8 and this is the same time we eat asha (dinner). I prefer this meal because there is often chicken. It’s sometimes tough and rubbery but at least it isn’t goat. And as a treat for me the cook sometimes makes rice with salt instead of sugar. Can you imagine rice being a treat? Incidentally, rice is really hard to eat with your hands, as is custard. Apart from their obsession of putting sugar in everything, the Sudanese also love oil. So everything literally has an oil slick on top. My national staff are always telling me off for not eating enough. It’s hard not to reply with ‘that’s because Sudanese food is inedible’! So I politely tell them it’s because I’m sick or not hungry, which is rarely true.

Then I sleep under my mosquito net (by about 9.30 as there’s nothing else to do) and start all over again the next day.

Sounds fun doesn’t it…?

All by myself...

2007-08-22T14:57:00.000Z

I’m a little bored and lonely today. There is no one to talk to out in the field with me. It seems crazy that you are either with people 24-7 or all on your own. There is no middle ground.

The rains are very heavy here and so little construction is taking place. It makes my job less interesting. It was so cold this morning I even needed a jumper. Actually that probably means it dipped below 30 degrees but you still really feel it.

I’ve settled back in from my holiday very quickly. Most of my staff are away on a training course so it has given me plenty of planning and thinking time for when they come back. Maybe that adds to feeling lonely.

I’d like to come home just for a few days but I realise this is unrealistic!! So I’ll keep plodding onwards for a while longer yet…

Holidays

2007-08-18T11:27:00.000Z

I’m just back from a couple of weeks in Mombasa. It was lovely. My sister flew out from the UK to meet me so it was a good chance to properly catch up and receive presents from home! It was really restful but we did some stuff too like diving (saw sharks and turtles), safari and dolphin spotting. But mostly I just ate a lot to make up for the bad food in Sudan.

I had this feeling of dread on the plane like I didn’t want to come back but now that I am here it isn’t as bad as I remembered! And everyone hates going back to work after holidays I guess…

The next couple of months are going to be a busy time as work-wise we are a little behind. We have just been allowed back to access one of our sites that has been closed for a while for security so I am looking forward to getting back in there quickly and seeing what work needs to be done.

It’s raining very heavily here today and this is when I remember our “house” isn’t exactly waterproof. And the electricity is out. And the mobile reception is down. Such a contrast to home…

Contacting me

2007-08-02T12:32:00.000Z

In case this information hasn't got to anybody there are two ways to contact me.

by email on: DMT-darfurwatsan@tearfund.org

or by post:
Tearfund
c/o DMT - North Sudan
100 Church Road
Teddington
Middlesex
TW11 8QE
UK

They don't have a postal service in Darfur, I wonder why not...

me and my watsan team

2007-08-01T03:49:00.000Z

The team after we had finished a training course that I ran. They love to get certificates!

All right now

2007-07-17T14:46:00.000Z

I realise my last couple of blog entries were quite negative. Well do not fret; I am back to my usual cheery self now. I am currently holding a training session for my 9 watsan staff. They all seem to be enjoying it or at least they are asking a lot of questions which I take as a good sign! I now have only about 2 weeks until my next R&R. So that means a busy time for a bit but then a well earned rest. This year is absolutely flying by.

I had lots of meetings this week about hygienically slaughtering animals. Not so nice but I guess and important topic in keeping people healthy. I said I was happy to attend the meetings just as long as I didn’t need to do a site visit!

...and amoeba and mosquitos

2007-07-09T21:11:00.000Z

Malaria test shows I’ve got the all clear. Hurrah! But now have to treat myself for amoebas in my tummy and the today a mosquito flew into my ear and wouldn’t come out. Sounds unexciting but the pain was excruciating and the noise very loud as you would imagine. In the end I drowned it with water but not until it had bitten me several times so I am taking antihistamine. I don’t like to complain but it all seems to be happening at once. I’d like just a few days of rest with no medical issues. Do you think I’m asking too much…?

Getting Malaria

2007-07-05T22:22:00.000Z

The whole world seems to know by now that I got malaria. It’s good to know I have a good network of friends that keep each other up to date. It all happened as well as it could have, except the best result of course would be not to have had it! I was supposed to fly to the field on Saturday but because of some flight mix ups I had to stay in Geneina, where the doctors are – first amazing thing. Felt a little rough on the Sunday but managed a day’s work and an early night. Monday morning I woke up and I told my colleague that I felt like I’d been hit by a bus and my temperature was 38.5. She said it sounded like malaria and by lunchtime I was in the clinic, had a drip in my arm and tested positive for malaria. That is the second amazing thing – people rarely get diagnosed and treated within 24 hours. And because the clinic is near to UNDSS (the UN security people) and they like me and wanted to take care of me, they rung round everyone they knew to find an air-conditioned room for me to sleep in for a couple of nights. The only one free in the whole of Geneina was in WHO (World Health Organisation) guest house where all the medical people sleep. And some guy who knew a lot about malaria took very good care of me. And that is amazing thing number three!

Less amazing is that now I have finished my course of anti-malarial drugs (and they were pretty potent and nasty) I am now anaemic so I need to take some supplements for the next three months. So I’m getting there…slowly. I fly back to the field on Tuesday just for a few days to begin with to see how I get on.

I’ll keep you posted…

Some work photos

2007-06-29T14:17:00.000Z

Constructing a well. A health promotion club.

My bedroom hut.

Installing a well with community help.

Some photos from Zanzibar

2007-06-29T14:05:00.000Z

Shopping!

2007-06-08T13:07:00.000Z

So, there are shops in Zanzibar! Humdilallah!! (Not sure how you spell it but that's Arabic for "Praise God!") We're now in Stone Town and have spent much of the day shopping and eating. Quite similar to being by the beach really but we've replaced diving with spending money on rubbish. Did I mention we had an aromatherapy massage at a very posh resort yesterday - does life get any better than this?!? I also bought a small gift for my sister so she'll be happy to see me in a few months.

Actually Stone Town is quite beautiful in a run-down kind of way. Maybe next time I'm here I'll spend a little more time exploring.

The end of holidays are always a little sad don't you think...

Adventures in Diving

2007-06-05T12:01:00.000Z

I finally did both my radio interview and was in the paper. I have decided that is the end of my celebrity career already. Best to fade into the background at the height of your success I figure!

Anyway here I am in Zanzibar with Betsy. I've been diving three times now in the crystal clear sea. It's raining here but coming from Sudan it's a welcome relief. It's kind of nice and quiet here or at least it was until two overland trucks appeared. I feel I can't really complain as I've twice been one of those overlanders, but I'll complain anyway!

It's been a great chance to catch up and discuss IN DETAIL everyone we've ever met in Darfur particularly the total of about three single men we know here. We like to rank them in order based on so far: ability to shop. We are trying to expand the criteria so any suggestions welcomed.

Fame and Fortune??

2007-05-28T08:51:00.000Z

Tearfund have launched an appeal for more funds to keep the programme going until about 2010 (don’t worry, I’ll not be here until then!). This launch has been accompanied by media coverage and Sheffield seems to have taken to “my story” quite well. I am supposed to be appearing as a guest on the BBC Radio Sheffield Breakfast Show but the mobile network here seems to have been shut down so I may miss that opportunity. And the Sheffield Star is going to run a story and have asked if I can write a weekly blog. It’s all quite exciting!

I always thought that I’d like to be famous for actually doing something with my life and not just for winning Big Brother. Maybe this is my opportunity???

And my well-earned R&R break is starting on Friday so only 4 days and counting…

The desert is turning green!

2007-05-07T07:54:00.000Z

The rains are approaching fast and I’m amazed at how quickly the desolate landscape springs into life. Little shoots are emerging after about two rain showers. The thunderstorms are spectacular but I try to remember that many people die in this weather. We are desperately trying to get supplies to the field before the roads become impassable and our project work ceases if we haven’t planned well enough.

I also attended a wedding this week. We actually attended day 9 of the celebrations and they are still going strong. It was a gloriously garish affair with fake flowers and metallic Christmas decorations everywhere. But they looked very happy. The only thing I found slightly sad is that this will be the groom’s second wife (you can have up 4) but the first wife attended the wedding so she can’t be too upset. It’s quite hard to get your head around - they will have separate houses for each of their families and must treat each of their families the same so you have to be quite rich to have all four.

Golf Zulu Yankee 3

2007-04-22T17:00:00.000Z

That is me. I’m no longer a name but a radio call sign! It’s already becoming second nature to remember my VHF radio wherever I go and to respond to calls to Golf Zulu Yankee 3. Which is a good job as security has to be our top priority. I still can’t quite get my head around making the security decisions about whether we travel somewhere or not, but thankfully until I do understand it, that will be someone else’s job.

I have now seen all four of the sites where we are working. They are all quite different and success of projects is equally varied. Today I visited many well-kept hand pumps that were clean with nice little fences round. In our last location the wells were more like donkey mud baths. I am now familiar with the India Mark II handpump and the variety of ways it can fail, all described as “it is broken” when I ask what is wrong. I have seen brick built hand dug wells, stone built hand dug wells, water jetted wells into the wadi and a very impressive 20m deep hand dug well about 1m in diameter that I can only assume children have dug.

I’m getting into the swing of the working day too. We start at 8.30, which gives me about 2 hours to walk around various water installations before the sun gets too hot at about 10.30-11. My team find it very funny that this is the only time I can be outside until maybe 5 in the evening but it is summer here. I keep telling them that winter is only 6 months away and then I will be ok!

It does feel very cut off here and two days feels like a week. Sometimes it feels more like and endurance test than an actual job but I’m due some R&R in June so if I can just get through until then…

Life in Darfur

2007-04-13T20:44:00.000Z

I have learnt how to email entries into my bog (I think) so I am doing this via my little portable satellite system.

I am now in one of the “villages” in which I shall be working for the next year. Most of my time should be spent in somewhere like this as this is where all the work goes on but security means that access isn’t all we hope it should be. We have 4 sites in total.

The house here is very nice and the people even nicer. And we came here by helicopter which I loved. The heat will take some getting used to (50 degrees plus at its hottest) but other than that I like it. When I arrived I visited one of the Tearfund children’s clubs. They have about 5000 children come every week to play games and sing songs whilst learning about health issues or sanitation issues or whatever is needed at the time. This month’s topic is ‘being good friends’, basically helping each other through traumatic circumstances. It was very encouraging to go and watch and I think I shook hands with every one of the 5000 children – or at least it felt like that!

I’ve also been to see all of the Tearfund installed water systems here. We have emergency supplies which are pumped to tap stands for displaced people forced to come here. We also have many handpumps which are a longer term solution as they don’t require generators and fuel etc. But handpumps can serve a lot less people so it seems that it will be a while before we have enough. Coming here I realise just how much work is left to do and Tearfund has already been here for 3 years. The plan is to build capacity in both Tearfund national staff and our local volunteers so that the work can continue long after we’ve gone.

Tomorrow is Friday so it’s our day off. Though as there is absolutely nothing to do in the field then I may end up doing some work of some kind. The national staff will probably be playing dominoes for 8 hours but I’m not sure it can hold my attention that long. Tonight we have decided on a movie night. 15 people crowded around one laptop may make it challenging but as we are watching a Nigerian comedy I suspect it will not just be access to the screen that’s a challenge!!

Queens of the Nile...?

2007-04-02T18:35:00.000Z

First Impressions... Khartoum

2007-04-01T17:39:00.000Z

So I made it here. And boy is it hot!! I've spent the last three days doing what I like to call aclimatising, essentially sleeping, reading and eating. It feels like home (sort of) already, which is great. Everyone is so welcoming and open. The Tearfund staff I've met so far are an exciting mix of ex-pats from around the world (mostly from around Africa actually). And they all have so much more relief experience than me so plenty of people to learn from.

Assuming I get my travel permits (you can never be sure) then I should fly to Darfur on Tuesday. I'm quite excited to get stuck in, meet my colleagues and begin some real work. It's hard to know exactly what to expect but I'm feeling really positive about it.

Khartoum itself is hot and dusty. Our guesthouse is air-conditioned so can't complain too much. All the influx of oil money is changing this city and the people. I'd like to stay longer to get to know the city where the Blue Nile and White Nile meet, but alas I have a job to do...

Training

2007-03-21T13:10:00.000Z

I've started my training! It feels a little like information overload at times but there's a lot to learn in such a short space of time. I passed my health and pyschological assessments so now there's nothing stopping me going.
My flight has been changed to Wednesday 28th so an even shorter space of time in which to get everything done. This is of course subject to getting my visa through on time, which is often a real problem. But I'm sure all will be well...
So far I have learnt about some high level strategies for the team and lots of admin type things. I'm hoping that I will be able to fit in time for some really specific briefings that can answer my questions like "what am I supposed to do every day?".
But it's all really positive and I'm enjoying the challenge so far.

A Taste of Things to Come...

2007-03-08T16:57:00.000Z

3 weeks to go

2007-02-25T15:05:00.000Z

3 weeks to go and clearly starting to get excited. The whole packing up and preeparing process is quite overwhelming at times but I'll get there in the end. I leave for the London induction on 18th March and Sudan on the 30th. So much to do before then...