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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