Tuesday, February 27, 2007

What Roller Coaster am I on?

Well I made it to Sharm El Sheik, Egypt. What a day! I finally got confirmation on my ticket here at 3 yesterday and I flew out at 6 this morning. It's only a 2 1/2 hour flight to Cairo which is really nice and about the same flying time from Khartoum to Darfur. But I got to Cairo and the Immigration guys gave me a hard time about visa requirements and were very rude about it - a trend that I am starting to see in Egyptian men. So in my 'I NEED A BREAK' state of mine - that didn't go very well. So a little break down in the Cairo airport and then on my way to the desert oasis. So far I am shocked at the beauty of this place. There are beautiful mountains in the middle of the desert with the Red Sea surrounding it all. It's amazing what you can create with a little water and money in the middle of the desert. I'm staying at an amazing all inclusive hotel with three swimming pools and more than five restaurants. Ya - the tough life of an aid worker in Sudan. But I have gone through every emotion that I think is humanly possible today. Plus I am in tourist mecca so that adds to some frustration and annoyance. I know that I am one of them right now but that doesn't make anyone else less annoying. Of course I am the perfect tourist, respectful of the culture and not treating people like my personal slaves.

So I don't think anything went well today. Issues in Cairo and then the airport suttle didn't pick me up, then I arrived at the hotel and it was total caos with rude people yelling at people behind the desk. I had second thoughts about this whole trip and really wanted to crawl back to comfortable Darfur. I know I think I'm really messed up. I'm reading this fiction novel today and it's about this guy that gets his memeory erased and is told a bunch of things to make him think that he is someone else. It got me thinking about how comfortable we get in our surroundings. Either physical, mental or emotional. Right now I know that I need a break from everything happening at work but yet all that stress is comfortable. In this book this guy is put in a dark room for days on end dealing with extreme temperatures and horrible conditions. But when he gets out of his room he wants to go back because that is what he knows. His conditions in that room are not good for him but he becomes accusome to it and begins to desire it when he needs something safe. It just got me thinking that even though time of the beach is much better for me in so many ways, many times today I wanted to head back to Nyala - to something I know and seems safe. It started more thoughts on how we get comfortable in situations that may not be good for us but are comfortable and secure. But there is an oasis waiting for us that will rejuvinate us and gove us more strength and energy for what lies ahead of us. Just food for thought....

Monday, February 26, 2007

And I'm Off!

Well I finally have a ticket and a hotel reservation in Sharm El Sheik for tomorrow so that means that I am really going! I even have an exit visa in my passport! This is the only country that I know of that requires a visa to exit the country. Before that can happen I need my residence visa and for that to happen here are the procedures listed below. HAC is the government department that deals with all the NGO’s.

The process to get an initial visa into Sudan consists of :
1) Approval by HAC Director General and Approval by HAC Security Dept was
1 day to several weeks is now 3 weeks to I month (cost still free)
3) Approval by Immigration was 1 - 2 weeks is now 3 days (cost was US$ 50
now US$ 46)
4) Approval by Foreign Ministry was 1- 2 weeks now 3 days (cost still
free)
5) Visa stamp in passport in Sudanese Embassy (US$ 55-100)

Once a temporary visa is granted and staff arrive in Khartoum NGOs need to
change this to a longer term stay visa and work permit. These have to be
renewed each time the ?Moratorium? is extended and requires the following:
1) Initial Registration Dept of Interior still 1 day (cost was US$ 30 now
US$ 41)
2) Approval by HAC Director General and Approval by HAC Security Dept was
1 day to several weeks now 7 days (cost free)
4) HIV/AIDS test or exemption for first time only still 1 day.
5) Work permit Ministry of Labour was 1 - 5 days now 7 days to 1 ?2
months (cost was US$ 75 now US$ XXX) (Can be valid for up to a year)
6) Approval by Immigration was 1 - 2 weeks now 2 weeks (cost was U$ 100)

Both with a temporary stay or a longer term visas you also need a travel
permit to get to Darfur. This requires the following:
1) Approval by HAC Director General 1 day - several weeks (Free)
2) Approval by HAC Security Dept 1 day to several weeks (Free)
3) Issuing of ID HAC card / permit in Khartoum 2 days (US$ 10) (not being
done now)

Another requirement for travel out of the country is the exit and re-entry
visa which is only valid for one trip. Each of these require the
following:
1) Approval by HAC Director General 1 day - several weeks (Free)
2) Approval by HAC Security Dept 1 day to several weeks (Free)
3) Tax clearance 1 day (US$ 1)
3) Approval by Immigration 1 - 2 weeks (US$ 87)

Should staff finish their contracts and intend to leave Sudan NGOs also
need to pay for a final exit visa
1 day ? 1 week (US$ 48)

Yet one more permit required is the state HAC card which allows NGO staff
to travel out of the state capital. This was previously issued for a year
but recently is also linked to the extension of moratorium. Recently HAC
in South Darfur has said that it needs to be paid US$ 10 per staff member
(national and international). If this is applied and extended to the rest
of Darfur would result in an additional cost of nearly US$ 130,000


I would love to say that the most difficult part of working in Darfur is the heat, the dust, the fighting, the insecurity, the living conditions or anything else that people could relate to. However, dealing with all of these procedures and the constant delays of R&R’s, travel passes (which allow us to move within Darfur) and the constant fight to just allow us to do the job is the most draining. The rest you get used to.

Friday, February 23, 2007

A Little Mountain Air

 Since my R&R was delayed I had little work to do this week. I had planned on being away so everything was caught up and everyone was ready for me to be gone for a week. So the opportunity came for me to head out to the field for a couple of days so I jumped on it. This time I went farther north of Nyala into an area that has in the past been very volatile and hostile to travelers. Due to many complicated reasons there is a peace and some agreements between parties which has made it one of the safest places to be in South Darfur right now. So we piled into our convoy of four trucks and headed off on the 4 hour drive into the mountains through nomad country. The greatest thing that I love about the nomads in Sudan is that they are often located by the herds of camels that they live with. No matter how many times I see them camels make me smile. They are the most funny looking awkward animals around. This time of the year there are lots of baby camels too which doubled my camels enjoyment.
 
We headed up to one of our field bases in Feina. Because the area has been so unstable and in the past we have had to take helicopters into Feina because the roads were unsafe to travel, we are basically the only NGO working in the area. So it was great to see all these signs up through the town indicating that SP has partnered with WFP, Unicef, FAO, USAID etc to build the school, food distribution site, farmer training centers, water pumps etc. It’s kind of like a little SP assisted world. Our relationship with the community is excellent and they love the work that we do and the assistance that we have been able to give them. Recently there has been fighting farther into the mountains and so the community has had an influx of IDP’s that they are trying to host. So food, non food items and other assistance is heading up into the mountains to try and support these people that have left their villages. We have built a compound with four huts for our teams to stay in while they are working in the area. It’s a beautiful location on the side of a mountain looking down into the valley where the wadi is. It was so great to get out there and enjoy the beautiful mountains and out of the flat desert. It’s the dry season right now so it was still brown but I still found it breath taking.
 
We arrived in Feina and while we were waiting for the women’s center leader to have a meeting with us we walked down to the school that SP has constructed. It was so great to get out and go for a bit of a hike. Of course greeting everyone that we met along the way with handshakes and me mumbling what I think are Arabic greetings. We have build two school buildings on the school grounds and the community has built four more traditional structures to help with the growth of the school. When we came back the next day I was shocked to see how many children are attending school there right now. Our estimation is about 900 students but with the influx of IDP’s to the area that number could be higher. It’s encouraging to see the children, both boys and girls, going to school and putting an emphasis on education. It’s good to see in the midst of all this chaos.
 
That night we had a great meal together – which is always fun because you all sit on the ground and eat out of a few different bowls of food with you hands. It’s just a great thing to sit around and share food like that. Then it was a quiet night of talking and laughing and enjoying the stars. I loved being out there, it’s so peaceful and quiet and you feel so small in the vastness that surrounds you. I only with I could do it more. Our staff are great and really enjoy the time we get to spend with them in the field. But now it’s off to Egypt and hopefully these great times in the mountains will increase when I get back. Enjoy some of my pics.
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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Back to School

I don't get out to the field very often. Security often limits expat travel and my responsibilities in the office usually dominate my time so my time in the field has been few and far between. But yesterday I got to head out with our education team and visit a few schools in an area just north of Nyala. It was a quick trip but great to get out of Nyala and see the results of the hundreds of receipts come across my desk. In the area we have helped communities set up temporary classrooms to assist the displaced children to continue their education. The ministry of education helps them with curriculum, Unicef provides textbooks and school materials and we provide the classroom structures, and school furnishings. The attendance of these schools constantly fluctuate. I wonder how it is possible for these kids to get an education when they are always moving from one place to another as they seek safety. Even within the same town one school's students doubled while another school's attendance dropped from over 200 to around 60. Some people were starting to return to the area from Nyala so the kids were coming back and 5 minutes away the community leader was kidnapped and killed so everyone in that area had fled. It seems like a constant population movement that I can't comprehend. It's one of our biggest challenges out here. Tracking and following the people we assist is an impossible job. One community can change it's inhabitants in one day and within a month that may change another two or three times. It's like all these people have become forced nomads.

It was a great day to hang out with kids and get out from behind my desk for a little while. I need to do it more - inshall'ah. I'm supposed to be leaving for Egypt on Friday morning but I just got news last night that I still don't have an exit visa. Something went strangely wrong with the process and it got held up in someone's office. It's not surprising but it is still a little disappointing. So I will wait for the end of the day to see if I can adjust my work schedule so I can still get a break. Next month is going to be really busy because I'm sending my finance guys out for a training so that means that I have to stick around. So I may be looking at April before I can sit on the beach. We'll see - I'm waiting for that miracle. Enjoy the pictures from my trip yesterday.

Monday, February 12, 2007

The Big Boss

Franklin Graham, former US Senator Bill Frist, Sami Daghar (those that know SP will know that name) as well as three big bosses from our US office and a host of journalists, photographers, and other ‘less important’ people blessed us with their presence for 30 minutes today. Franklin is on a tour of East Africa today and Darfur was a 4 hour stop on their itinerary. He met with the Governor of Nyala and visited an IDP camp to see other NGO’s work there and talk to some IDPs. A four hour visit took two weeks worth of prep work and halted our normal operations for two days. It all seems rather crazy for four hours and I sure hope the outcome is a positive one. But it all seemed to go well and there were no serious issues or surprises.

My role in the whole thing was to make the half hour potty break a positive experience for our guests. This sounds easy enough but when you have to work with Sudanese toilet facilities that often comprise of what we call a squatty potty and don’t include the normal comforts of home it is a little tricky. So we hosted them in our guest house where at least there is a western toilet and maybe a little cleaner than the facilities that the staff use at the office. We put together a spread of food and drinks which even included a new arrival to Nyala – M&M’s! So people came, ate, talked and used our fabulous facilities. We got 30 minutes of the 4 hours to meet these people that we work for and somehow communicate to them about Darfur and how we are coping here as well as voice the needs of the thousands of people that we help. No pressure at all!

So the big meeting with Franklin Graham went much better than I had expected. You always here rumors about the big boss and honestly I was expecting the worst. I got the call from our team that they were on their way (this meant to me that I had 10 minutes to get cold drinks on the table and hot food onto plates) but then I heard on the radio that they were only one minute away. So no panic – just start running. So I’m throwing food, tossing drinks on the table and I have a arm full of bottles of water and my hands have food on them and I turn around and Franklin is walking towards me, hand out and introducing himself. So I realize that I have my arms full and my hands are dirty. What is a girl to do? So I shifted the bottles and wiped my hand on my pants (the African way) and greeted the son of the great preacher Billy Graham. Maybe not the most elegant introduction but I did my best. The best part is that I will be the only one that will remember it that way. The rest of their time was full of answering the questions that people ask but never really want to hear the answer and making sure that I schmoose with the right guys because you never know when your face in their mind will get you a job again one day. The thirty minute whirl wind came and went without incident and I actually don’t remember a whole lot of it.

The whole timing of this visit has been interesting for us here. Security is always a question mark here but just last week we had a fairly serious incident happen. No one was hurt but one of our trucks got stopped and our staff were asked to hand over money, watches, cell phones and shoes. They were just some guys that needed a little bit of money so they weren’t interested in taking the truck which we are very thankful for. But the event was very traumatic for our staff as any situation where you are laying face down on the ground with a gun pointed at you can be. We are always aware of the risks that we take as we head to the field and work in the communities but last week was a reminder of how serious it could be. So our thirty minute visit and the fact that they didn’t see SP programs was a little hard to swallow. Some days and after an incident like that you want to be reassured that the risks that you take are recognized and appreciated. I think we are all a little mixed on how we feel about this all. I could get really critical about it all but it’s just a feeling that will pass – probably not so justified.

But all in all it was a successful day on our part – the bigger results are yet to be seen. I’m on the countdown to my R&R where I can forget the frustrations and refocus on what I am doing. Check out SP’s web site in the next couple of days – there should be an article about Franklin’s visit to Darfur.

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

In a Bit of Hot Water

This is a monumental day here in Nyala for SP. As a relief organization we tend to be reactionary on many things - often to our demise. So last year at the end of the really hot season we finally got an airconditioner approved for our TV room. But it hasn't been used much because the weather cooled off. So now that the really cold season has passed we are installing our hot water heaters for the showers. For the last nine months I have been boiling water on the stove and pouring it into a bucket so I can have a warm bucket bath. But this ritual is no longer required as of February 6, 2007 (at least until it breaks and we have to order parts in). I have been claiming lately that the reason for me not getting up in the morning to run has been that it's too cold and takes too long to have a warm bucket bath at 7 in the morning. So that excuse has suited me just fine for the last couple of months. But now with hot water heaters I have run out of excuses - so if anyone has some good ones for me please share. But really I am so excited about my new hot water heater and just think of how much better I will smell now. Really everyone benfits from it.

I also wanted to share a sad story with you. It may seem weird to talk about silly things like hot water heaters and then a sad story like this in one blog but this is what life is like. Enjoy the good things and still greive over the sad things.

My finance guy here in Nyala goes every Sunday morning to the prison and spends time with some of the inmates. He will just go and listen to them, help them with personal needs and sometimes teaches and prays for them. So often he will come to work on Sunday afternoon with very interesting stories. This Sunday he called me and told me that he was in prison (he meant that he was visiting but it scared me for a moment) and that there was a Christian man that died the night before and there was no one to take care of the body. No one knew how to bury a Christian man so the responsibility fell on him. So he washed the body, dressed him again, took a group of inmates out to the grave yard, dug a grave and burried the body. This man I guess was a military man that spent three years in a military prison and lived off of maybe one meal a day until he was transferred to Nyala two weeks ago. My guy didn't even know the man and only briefly interacted with him the week before. A couple of things really hit my heart when I heard this. One is how horrible it would be to die all alone with no one around you that loves and cares for you. His family has no idea that he has died and they will never be able to be there for his last breath. To die alone - I really don't wish that on anyone, even though it happens all the time. The other thing that really struck me was how selfless and courageous my finance guy was to take on the responsibility to look after a complete stranger's body. He could have walked away and hoped someone would do something but he didn't he took on something that was really beyond him and gave a stranger the respect that we could only hope someone would do for us after we pass. It is the most real expample I have ever seen of the good samaritan story in the bible. I am in awe of his actions and have so much to learn from his display of love and compassion.

The good thing about this story is that I hope this man that passed went from the worst place on earth - starving to death in a dirty dark prison in Darfur- to the most beautiful pain free place he could ever imagine.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Puppies!


While I was home last you may have heard me talk about our dogs. When I returned I had discovered that one of them had disappeared and the other one had six puppies. So instead of two dogs barking all night and brining in all sorts of interesting 'treasures' into the compound, we now have seven. Life for a dog is Sudan is not a nice one. They have rocks thrown at them and are beaten so I thought is was kind of my to want to end their life early on. But I lost that vote so now we have to find homes for six puppies in an environment where they are pests - not pets. But they are kind of cute and I find it funny when they try to bark and scare me off when I come to see them. So if anyone wants a pure Sudanese mutt let me know and I can try and get it to you.

Other than trying to find homes for these puppies, we have been keeping ourselves very busy. The situation here has changed a lot for us. The areas that used to be safe for us to work have been unsafe to go to for over six weeks where our unsafe areas have opened up for us to work in. In one area right now we are trying to get blankets, jerry cans and soap to over 30,000 people that have fled their homes and are living under trees while their children die from the cold. While the sitaution for Darfurians continues to decline the areas that NGO's are able to travel in and work in decrease. There has been at least three NGO's that have pulled out of Darfur all together becuase of insecurity and their inablility to do the work that needs to be done. So we go through the ups and downs off it all yet seem to continue operating and have been safe doing so.

Even though it seems like the craziest place to work I am loving it. I used to count down the days from at least four months before I got to go home from Mozambique. Even though I was a 20 min walk from the beach and all the seafood I could eat, I didn't like it. But here I am in the desert in the middle of the world's largest humanitarian crisis and I love it! I love going back to Canada to see everyone but at the same time, I don't want to leave this place. Ya maybe I have just gone crazy. But at the same time I do need short breaks to eat some good food and get away from the war zone, so I am off to Egypt on the 16th. I have found a great little beach resort on the Sinai peninsula that I'm going to hang out at for a week and get some sleep. I'm looking forward to it.

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