It has taken three years to build the relationships necessary for this important step in developing a community-based health system in Southern Sudan. Two previous mission teams met with government officials, conducted a health assessment, and created a collaborative initiative with IMA’s staff in Jongeli State. The 2010 team drew on these actions and developed the HHP program through collaboration with government officials, village leaders and staff from Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA) World Health. IMA’s support was a key component in the program’s planning and implementation.
A Task Force was established to guide the work of the HHP program in Malak. Jan Witter, the mission team’s leader, described the Task Force’s first meeting:
| We spent all day yesterday gathering people for the Community Task Force meeting. We ended up with about 25 people, including the HHPs. I think they have better idea of what the HHPs will do, and are showing very strong support. Over and over they said, "We will be responsible" "We will do our part". |
Jan’s words sparked memories of the 2009 mission team meeting in Malak where village elders met to discuss the feasibility of such a program. The group gathered under a tree in exceedingly hot temperatures and spent hours discussing the people’s needs while a white calf tied near the circle voiced her thoughts. The mission team was grounded by the words of one Sudanese man who said that others had come before and not returned. He wondered how the villagers could trust this group. SSHP’s team members assured him that they would return.
With IMA’s guidance, the 2010 mission team developed an action plan and is now prepared to set up training for the first HHPs. IMA graciously offered to provide the training at no cost. A resource list was created so that medicines and supplies can be purchased for the HHPs.
Soon, these HHPs will provide health education to their villagers. The HHPs include a previously trained health care worker, two teachers, a nurse, a midwife, and others who are illiterate or have limited education. They are paired so that that they can share their talents.
While the team was in Malek, they dug a model latrine with plans to expand the work. Villagers lack the resources to build latrines and are excited about the opportunity to develop that preventive health practice at their homes.
SSHP continues to work for the glory of God in Southern Sudan with open and willing hearts.
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The next team is ready for Malek, Sudan!
6 MAY 2010:
On May 18, at 1:09, the team will be headed for Malek, Sudan. This year it is a team of three. Jan Witter (Sandy Creek United Methodist Church) will lead the team. This is Jan's third trip for the Southern Sudan Health Projects.
Mayol Malak returns as part of the team. Mayol is always instrumental in the progress of the SSHP. We hope his health stays good for this trip that will take place a few days after his last exam at SUNY Oswego.
Nathan Fairclough (James Street United Methodist Church) makes his initial trip to Sudan. Nathan will set his business on hold until he returns.
The team will be going to Malek to form a group that will oversee the SSHP. This board will then hire, train, and equip a home health care promoter. SSHP will work with IMA to offer the training.
In addition, they will try to organize a few families so that they can build a latrine, and learn how to maintain it. This will be another challenge in the process.
The team needs:
Your support
Your prayers
Your financial support
Please join us for the commissioning service 6:00pm on May 16 at Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church. At this service we will celebrate their mission, and bring them gifts to take to the people of Malek.
So please bring:
Soccer Balls
Imodium
Tylenol
Ibuprofen
These will be added to the luggage they will be taking.
My professional background was as a Social Worker/ Service Coordinator in the field of Developmental Disablities for New York State, Jefferson County. I have been retired for 7 years.
This will be my third year to visit Bor, Southern Sudan, as part of the team for the Southern Sudan Health Project. The first year we assessed the needs and resources of people living in the Bor area; I think we were all a bit overwhelmed with all of the needs people had.
Thousands of people were returning from refugee camps and outlying areas with almost no infrastructure in place: they had to build their own tuckels and obtain food through United Nations Food sources; there was almost no market area. There were bor holes for water, but they often were not close to where people were living, resulting in long waits and walks to obtain water. There were almost no latrines. Schools, jobs, and health care were almost non-existent. The trip confirmed our initial decision to concentrate SSHP's efforts on developing a system of community health workers in the Bor area.
During the second trip we found that the area had become more settled. There was a thriving market area; people were settling in more areas, often closer to available bor holes; people were becoming self-sufficient in growing their own food. We were joined on this trip by Darla Rawley from United Methodist Committee On Relief and the Rev. James Mwoho from the East Africa Annual Conference, which has responsibility for Sudan. We explored ways to set up the system of Community Health Workers and linked up with IMA World Health, an organization of 12 Protestant churches which works to strengthen health care systems in developing countries. They have a contract in Southern Sudan to do just this. We also chose the community of Malek, which is fairly close to Bor, as the area we would like to begin in. We met with the elders of the community, who are eager to work with us, although also skeptical that we would actually help them, not just promise them help and leave.
My goal for this trip is that we keep that promise. We need first to formalize our relationship with IMA and establish how we can work together. I would like to see the coordinating council, which will oversee the community health workers, established and functioning; we have ideas of who we would like to have serve on that committee but it is not yet a working body. It would be really great if we could have community health workers chosen, ready to be trained when IMA has its training sessions.
As one way of improving the health of the people of Malek, and of showing them that we did not make an empty promise, we want to construct a latrine in Malek while we are there.
This would be a model which hopefully would lead to their constructing many more latrines in Malek.
"For the Glory of God, we will strive to enable the development of Community Based Systems for health and for the holistic quality of life in Southern Sudan.' It's exciting to be part of a mission which will bring this closer to fruition!
In 2007, I traveled to Peru and lived with a friend's family in Lima for 6 months. One of my objectives of the trip was to visit a rural community and distribute clothing; clothing that had been made by the members of Dress Our People (in association with Cortland First United Methodist Church). The experiences I encountered in the village of Bernales still affect my life to this day. The faces of the people and their unending generosity is what I remember most vividly. During my three days in this village, I was able to directly feel the weight of God's hand guiding my life.
While in Sudan, it is my hope that I will be able to ease the burden of an afflicted people. Our team plans to work alongside the community members, constructing sanitation facilities and furthering hygiene education. We anticipate that our efforts in the village will allow us to strengthen our relationship with IMA, an organization whose involvement would help to secure our vision of establishing a sustainable health care system in Malek, Sudan.
And for all of you who have helped to create this opportunity for me... my sincerest thanks.
In 2008 and 2009 when I returned to my homeland in Sudan, I saw that my community was in a desperate situation. There is no health care and people are suffering and dying from simple diseases like diarrhea, malaria, cholera, chicken pox, TB, and others. Mothers do not have enough food for their children so malnutrition is a large problem. Babies often get diarrhea and they do not progress like children in the United States.
On my last trip home, I had some anti-diarrheal medicine with me. My baby niece needed it and she did well when she took it. A neighbor's child had the same problem and I tried to get some medicine for her in Bor Town but there was none available. I gave her a little of what I had brought and her family was so appreciative. It hurt me to see someone who could not even do that for her child because they do not have money and medicine is not available in the town. Even though I am not a doctor or health care worker, my people think that I am. I had to explain that I was not and this is why SSHP really needs to develop community-based health systems there. The people are so desperate for help.
A few months ago, I was very sick and was hospitalized for nine days. I feared that I would die and not be able to continue this work. I wanted to see health care work succeed back home, so I prayed, "God, please let me have another chance to work with this project so I can help these people." This is why I am so happy now to be healthy again and able to return to do God's work, giving back to my community the way people here helped me get well.
When I go on this third trip, I will stay longer than the rest of the team. My purpose is to accomplish more work and I will monitor the projects we set up. I want to get more Sudanese people to be involved and become passionate to do this work. The more time I can spend working and talking with the Sudanese, the more confident we can be about the relationships we have built. This helps us to be more like family and community members there. SSHP must have a presence in the area.
Since I have been part of Southern Sudan Health Projects, I have been part of two mission teams and will be returning with the 2010 mission team. I feel that God led me to this project and our mission. Once we can train home health promoters and supply them with the resources needed to help the people use preventive health practices, we will be doing God's work. I can volunteer to give my time and skills to this work and I will continue to pray that doors can be open to make this work be successful.
Copyright 2009 -
Southern Sudan Health Projects
Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church
Syracuse, NY, USA