Graduation

Our internet service in South Sudan (or lack thereof) did not allow for much blogging. So just to bring you up to date - graduation was incredible. It began in the morning with our students in caps and gowns marching around Freedom Square and around the market to the beat of the Police Band. People came out from everywhere at the sound of the band and walked along next to our candidates cheering. Truly, there had never been anything like it in Rumbek. Children who are not enrolled in school commented that they wanted to go to school and be able to be part of this parade someday. It was live streamed on facebook. You can find pictures on our website www.abukloi.org so be sure to check it out. One of the big events at graduation was the announcement of the micro-loans. We granted them to 6 of the 22 student business proposals. Money will be wired later and the teacher who worked with them on the proposals will continue to work with them as they start up their businesses. Everywhere we went, the talk was about Abukloi and the business plans. If even just 1 of these businesses can prove successful, it will be significant. With hyper-inflation and insecurity, economic development even on this small scale is more than a challenge. Our visit to Nancy's Garden was joyous. They greeted us with singing, walked us around their plots and then talked about their challenges. We gave them 40 pair of leather gloves and some money to help with watering cans, tools, and seeds. I told them about Nancy, my mother, for whom this garden is named, and showed them pictures. We read scripture and prayed. May God's spirit and Nancy's spirit, protect and provide for these women and their families. Bev and I left South Sudan yesterday and are on our way to Kenya for a short safari. We discovered in our overnight layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that a 1 night visa requires us to pay $50 for a hotel they assign to us. Bev had already made a reservation for a nice 5 star so opted to do that. We also learned that they keep the luggage at the airport (trying to be sure people do not overstay their visa) so guess who doesn't have extra clothes, cosmetics, or medicine??? But I do have my electronics! Geez, a little advanced instructions would have been nice. Thank you all for your support of our trip and of Abukloi. Getting this first class all the way through secondary school is a great accomplishment. Our students are now taking the national exam. This is a 2 week exam and the scores (hopefully available in May) will determine if our students actually receive a diploma. Your continued prayers and donations are much appreciated.

From Rumbek

I arrived in Rumbek late Saturday morning. Many of the teachers, senior students, and student leaders were there to greet me. It was amazing to think they would walk so far in the heat simply to greet me. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to be sure this is real. The teachers have matching polo type shirts. Some of the members of the Board also have them so I thought this was a good time to wear mine. The sight of a woman getting off the 19 passenger plane with the same shirt as the people greeting her apparently was unique. Today the teachers told me that they had heard about it from Uganda! Sunday morning I worship at the Catholic Church very near where I am staying. They are in a new building, much larger than the original building. The walls are block and the roof is mental but the floor is dirt. The service was in English so most of the congregants were young and about half male. Only the educated speak English. You can likely connect those dots. I've had several meetings with various groups but this morning is the first time I got to go to the school. Only the seniors were present. The other students are still on break. The seniors have been continuing in class to prepare for the National Exam on Feb. 13 (just 3 days after graduation). The teachers of the seniors also did not take a break over the holidays so they would be present to tutor the students - no extra income - just dedication. Their commitment to the students is like many teachers in the U.S. When I was here last April I learned one of our students is an artist. Her name is Vivian. We are working on a children's book that tells her story. So, I have worked on the story and Vivian is working on the illustrations. I met with her today and showed her a picture book about the Lost Boys of Sudan. She likely has not seen a children's picture book before. The possibilities are exciting. If we can make this work she could possibly travel to the US for a book signing tour. This is the hot season in South Sudan but the nights get cool (75 degrees) around 2:00 am so sleep is possible. Highs are over 100 degrees. Right now I am in the director's office so I can use the internet. There are 12 of us crammed into this small room. Needless to say, we are all a bit "damp". I will write as I get access to the internet. I have it on my phone but typing a coherent blog on the phone keyboard is not a challenge I want to take on. Bev Nelan and Angelo Maker arrive tomorrow. I can hardly wait to be with Bev and Angelo again!

Juba University

I've had a stomach bug and have needed to stay near a bathroom. But I did get out to tour Juba University today. There are 5 state universities in South Sudan. Rumbek, where our school is located, also has a university. In fact, they have chosen Abukloi Secondary School two years in a row as the place to send their education majors for their student teaching. We are proud of that distinction. Classes at the university do not start until next week but there were plenty of students on campus. Their dorms are called Hostels and they are extremely overcrowded. Most students commute via walking, bike, bus, or boda boda. Very few have a car. They come from all over the country and live with relatives in Juba. It is not an attractive campus by US standards but there is great hope in the students and faculty we met. We went to their Law School. It is a 5 year program that students enter directly from secondary school. The 5th year is spent in a law firm (much like student teaching) and then they are eligible to take the exam. Their specialties seemed to be less about corporate, criminal, family, etc and more about local, national, international. What was really surprising is that tuition per year is $100. You read that right! One of the administrators we spoke to told us about a USAID program that hooked the University of Juba to Virginia Tech and Virginia State. He was so excited when he learned that Angelo and I live in Virginia and were quite familiar with that exchange program, even knew some of the same people. Because Abukloi Secondary School teaches agriculture and because Abukloi Inc. has a 2.5 acre community garden, we were particularly interested in this academic exchange around agriculture. We visited Virginia State twice, met the South Sudanese students and some of the professors. However, USAID has withdrawn that funding so once the South Sudanese students completed their studies at Virginia State, that was the end of the program. It can be a small world! One of the major challenges for Juba University is power. They use generators because there is no reliable power grid in this capital city. The administrator said you could make your clock by the times the power went off and on. It comes on at 10 in the morning, goes off at noon to refuel, then goes off again at 3:30 for the rest of the day. Everything on campus is based on that power schedule: classes, meetings, use of labs, computers, projectors, etc. Interesting the challenges other people face that do not occur to us. Tomorrow I travel to Rumbek. Justin will pick me up around 8:00 am to take me to the airport. We will fly together. The plane is too small to take the caps and gowns we have for graduation so they are going by bus. (Pray for their arrival in time for the Feb. 10 graduation!). I would guess the plane will seat less than 20 people. Justin told me the teachers plan to greet me at the airport - so excited! These 5 days in Juba have not been part of my purpose in this trip, so grateful for what has happened here, but glad to move on to Rumbek.

Two More Days in Juba

Wednesday was really slow for me. I never left the hotel. But considering that it is pushing 100 degrees I should not complain. The past president of the Juba Rotary met with us. He plans to travel to Rumbek in mid-February to provide an orientation for at least 25 business people from Rumbek interested in the Rotary. None have even heard of it so it is a challenge to even get them to come. We were told that people sometimes think the word is "lottery" not Rotary! But our Director Justin has good relationships with people in Rumbek so he will likely get the 25. Today, Thursday, was a rough day for me. Woke up sick but went to meet with the Member of Parliament, Honorable Zechariah. This was my first time in the Parliament Building. Zechariah is the representative from Rumbek. I have had conversations with him on several occasions. Because our school property is owned by the Community Development Committee, it is critical for us to have good relationships with the people on that committee. Zechariah is one of them - very influential. He also is on the Ministry of Education. It was a brief but good conversation and I think we got some things clarified. I'm afraid I was too out of it to contribute much. When I got back to the room around noon, I just slept for 4 hours. Then got up and had some chicken/vegetable soup and bread. Still feeling a bit puny but should be better tomorrow.