Thursday 11 February 2010

Today's flight...

...unfortunately couldn't fit me in but it took far more useful people instead - 3 Rotary doctors during a voluntary 6-week stint at Garissa hospital.

This is something that MAF has supported from many years - the rotation of doctors going to and from Garissa. The doctors really provide expertise and a boost to staffing levels there, and are vital in training and equipping the local doctors and medical workers to eventually be able to fully run the hospital there.

I hear that the hospital is quite good for local standards, although teleport it to the UK and one might think differently!

Tomorrow afternoon is my return flight back to the UK, marking the end of what has been a great two weeks in Africa, and one with memories to cherish.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

In the southern hemisphere!

I am now in Kenya after a long flight south in the MAF plane from Juba. And now in the southern hemisphere for the first time. Not that anyone finds that interesting other than me, but it's a small milestone! I'll have to watch the water go down the plughole to see if it really does circle the other way...sad, aren't I!

And as always, the MAF plane I joined was well utilised, and there were many people from various organisations returning back from Juba. These included Medair staff - Medair are a medical mission that provides primary healthcare in some of the remotest parts of southern Sudan, and without MAF, would really struggle to work where they do. Also on the flight was a small team from Nairobi Lighthouse Church, back after assessing the needs in parts of the country and working out what the church can do to help in outreach. One of the outcomes is that they will be taking over a remote medical facility after the existing development organisation are pulling out of the area. One of the church members, Janet, had actually been in Sudan for 4 months, and was 'stranded' in a village after running out of money. Thankfully, MAF were able to bring her back home to Nairobi. She was very grateful for the work of MAF - quite a recurring them, it has to be said. The team said they were truly humbled by the enormous needs that many Sudanese communities face. I'll say it again - Sudan needs our prayers.

So, here I am in Kenya. Nairobi is 5,500ft above see level, and therefore noticeably cooler than Juba, despite its proximity to the equator. Very refreshing after my few days in the relentness Sudanese heat. MAF has good hangar and office facilities and the large team here are all very hard at work. The city itself, compared to what I have seen so far in Africa, is very well developed. But at the same time, still maintains its African influence, culture and interesting driving habits.

From Nairobi, MAF does flights to outlying settlements in Kenya, particularly the north which is still famine-affected. There are also flights to Somalia, although with the current situation within that country, it can be difficult to get permissions to fly across the border. But the majorty of flights are into Sudan, carrying tons of cargo and people every week to and from the country, all making a difference.

Weight permitting (let's suck that belly in), I hope to be able to hop on a flight tomorrow in our little Cessna 206, but we'll keep you posted.

Monday 8 February 2010

5-star dining and peace-building

Today's adventure saw me flying up to Pibor, a largish village north-east of Juba quite near the Ethiopian border.

Also in the plane was a team with Reconcile, who are leading a three-day peace-building workshop between the Nuer and Murle people groups. Our pilot Stefan dropped us off and then did two flights to Akobo to take two planeloads of people attending the workshops from there.
The sense of community in Africa is far stronger than here in the UK. So when a cattle raid occurs from another people group, it can lead to revenge not just against the individual cattle raiders, but to their whole family and people group. Cattle raiding is someting done as a lot of cattle is required to pay the dowry when it comes to marriage.
So, inter-tribal conflict is sometimes a big problem in Sudan. Just last year, such an incident resulted in a lot of death and displacement, and MAF flew in several tons of food aid for the church who were supporting those who were displaced and had nothing.

Anyway, it turns out that women are key in helping to keep the peace within their respective families. So, most of the people attending the workshop are women, and hopefully this will really equip them to help keep the peace when tensions run high.

It's great that the church and missions are really getting involved in promoting peace, not just between people groups, but also to make rural communities aware about the importance of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan and the upcoming elections in April.
When the plane landed at Pibor, we were treated to a welcoming song by a group of women. That was neat. As the plane took off without me to Akobo, it was a good experience to get away from the airstrip and go into the village (even if I was the only white person there!). The homes are basic, the flies are everywhere, poverty is rife. But the sense of community was strong, the market place was very social, and the people are great.

On the way back from the compound where the Reconcile team were staying, I enjoyed a luxurious bread and bean feast at the local restaurant. It was so good, that you didn't even need cutlery to eat it. After all, cutlery doesn't deserve to be associated with such a brilliant food. And you know what, it even came with its own natural air display too - birds flying inside just overhead so you can almost touch them. And it goes on; it even had air conditioning - after all, air comes in very well between the sticks in the walls, refreshing at a temperature of just 40C.
Back at the plane, the children were very excited to see my camera out and kept asking for their photos to be taken. They were very cute! I noticed one boy on crutches as he lost a leg. Another boy had lost an arm there. Both were smiling away, but it is a reminder of the difficulties that the area has faced. But they get on with their lives, and we must pray for peace and a sense of lasting hope for Pibor in the midst of political uncertainty.

Saturday 6 February 2010

Papayas

You know you're in Africa when you see a Papaya tree growing nearby! The tree must be about 10 feet tall, and has lots of clusters of papayas growing up the tree trunk, which is amazing considering that it is only about a year old.

I enjoyed some fresh papaya for supper last night and it tastes fab.

I wandered down to the market place with pilot Ryan Unger and his visiting father-in-law, and there is a good variety of fruit, veg, eggs and spices for sale. It was then to the "fish supermarket" which is a small shop selling just about everything other than fish. Hmmm! Still, shop names in Juba tend to be far less interesting than down at Kampala, where small stores aka shacks are alongside all the roads. The most memorable name I can remember is the God is Able Unisex Salon!

Good progress is being made here at Juba, the capital of South Sudan. While there are many bumpy dirt tracks, some of the major roads in the city are now wide and paved. Traffic is generally less hectic than in Kampala, and is dominated with 4x4s and small trucks, which I guess are largely owned by the local NGOs and so on.

MAF shares its compound with World Relief. They have done a great job. As the city's elecricity supply is erratic at best, MAF runs a generator for about 9 hours each day, and also utilises solar energy. The city's water supply is now better than the brown parasitic Nile water running through the taps when the compound was build about 3 years ago, but it's only safe to drink it filtered. They have internet connection thanks to a sizable satellite dish near the office, and the whole place, has really come a long way over recent months.

Having said that, it's still a challenging environment. The intense heat, dust, risk of disease, availability of supplies and, to some extent, security issues continue to be a feature of daily living.

Yesterday's flight to Akobo and Malakal was good. We delivered a ton of building materials (corrugated metal sheets and timber) to Akobo for the construction of a new medical building which will replace the unsuitable existing one. Akobo has your classic Sudanese village huts, but flies are everywhere and there is a lot of poverty. It's good to know that this flight will make a positive impact on the community. We then took Presbyterian mission workers from Akobo on to Malakal, where they are staying for a day before being flown back to Juba.

Finally, we're going down to the Nile later this afternoon. Should be great!

Thursday 4 February 2010

From hot to hotter

This afternoon I landed in Juba (well, strictly it was Captain Bryan Pill who landed but you get the gist!), the capital of southern Sudan, where I will be based for a few days. The city is beautiful from the air, with the Nile flowing straight past on its course to the Mediterranean.

Also on my flight was Bishop Anthony Poggo of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, a a guy working with CMS, and a Scottish couple who are just about to start new roles with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. All going to different locations, all with different roles, yet all playing a role in the advancement to God´s Kingdom in this nation.

The weather here is cooler than recent days, so I´m told, but still just about nudging 100F - all relative I suppose! The heat is quite intense, and I admire the small team based here for being so willing to work and live in such an environment. Am on another flight tomorrow to Akobo and upto Malakal in the north of southern Sudan.

Hangar preps

The diggers and trucks have started to arrive at Kajjansi, as work begins on levelling the ground for a new MAF hangar. The current one is too small and is on its last legs, and encounters many problems, such as floor problems and occasional flood. MAF will be able to better service its planes when the new structure is ready later this year.

Bob the builder, eat your heart out!

First MAF flight

I hopped on my 1st MAF flight yesterday, flying to Pader in northern Uganda - hurrah! On the flight was Joshua Kyallo, country director for AMREF and his colleague Diana. AMREF is a medical organisation which serves and assists at the government hospitals. The hospital/health centre in Pader serves more than half a million people in the area, so the medical care they provide is so valuable.

We then continued in the small Cessna 210 through the heat and haze on the shorter hop to Gulu, where we picked up 3 people who work with Watoto Childcare Ministries. One of the workers, Carl, works in trauma counselling for children. With the area only recently recovering from long-term conflict with rebel groups, the work they do must be again so valuable.

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Off the beaten track

Imagine the branches of a tree - as the branches and twigs get further and further away from the trunk, they get smaller and smaller. Similar with roads going out of Kampala and away from the few 'major' routes. We discovered this on Monday night when we joined Sam Tsapwe, a former MAF worker who now almost single-handedly runs Jesus Film Ministries. Sam is a gentle man of God, but with a big heart for outreach in the remote areas. Showing Christian films on a big projector screen is novel and a great way of getting people to hear the Gospel message.

So off we set in his ageing Landrover heading north to a village about 40km away - or 2 hours.

The roads in Kampala vary from fairly good to the smaller bumpy dirt tracks with emormous potholes. On the roads are an ecclectic mix of taxis, mopeds, people and otehr vehicles, all declaring their right of way at the same time!

While the main roads are not too bad, but head off that the roads are seldom paved and get narrow and narrower, and can quickly develop large potholes with the combination of use and stormy weether. By the time we reached the village of Bugabo, it was like an overgrown narrow bridleway.

We collected a pastor, called Steve, on the way who has established many churches in his area. He helped and showed the way. So that was 7 people and lots of equipment in the vehicle!

When we got there, Sam was calling out to every home we passsed, 'Filimo! Fimimo!' Soon after we arrived in a clearing near a new church, children started running towards us. By the time the big projector screen was set up, a crowd of 100-200 people gathered.

This was Sam's 2nd time in the village, and this time he showed a film centred around the character of Mary Magdalene. This was shown in English and translated throughout by Sam in his mic. The kids particularly love watching these films and listening to the Chrstian music at the beginning, dancing away.

The weather was good - a growing orange moon rising behind the screen was quite something - though an isolated gust blew over the screen at one point!

Several adults reiterated Sam's prayer at the end of the service. Pray for the church to continue to grow in Bugabo, and particularly for Sam's ministry - it only takes something as small as a faulty cable for the film to be in jeopardy, so pray for the small details!

So another early night - or then again, maybe not!

Initial impressions

Initally arriving at Enterbbe International, it was hot - unusually hot for the time of year. Situated right by Lake Victoria, the views were stunning. The same has to be said of Kampala in general - situated by the lake means it's relatively green compared to much of the country, with lush exotic plants and tropical fruit trees and all that. Seeing Malibu storks and parrots and other birdlife was also great. After a good night's sleep - or should I say a night's sleep - I was ready to embrace Uganda!

Amidst the beauty, it's clear that it can be hard work to earn a living here. Alongside almost every road are lines of 'shops' which sell all kinds of things. Many of these shops are still open gone midnight - it's a very social city and there are always people walking around the streets - some working even at night. But the people are as a whole very friendly and welcoming to us - not that strange British habit of completely ignoring someone who walks past you on the street!

The 3 reps managed to get on a flight on Monday morning to the north, as part of a regular shuttle flight to the Karamoja area. Also on board with them was a ladt from Action Contra la Faim (Action Against Hunger), and people from a couple of other orgnisastions also joined during the hop.

I was left at MAF's base in Kajjansi, which gave me the chance to have a wander around and see the hangar and terminal etc. Also situated right by Lake Victoria, it is in a fantastic area. Work on constructing a new hangar was about to commence - more on that later (along with news from a flight I joine today, plus a film showing. Right - I'm off for dinner at a pilot's home, and I'm heading for Sudan tomorrow to be based for a few days.

Monday 1 February 2010

From the air...

Flying from Dubai to Uganda, I got my first viewing of Africa. I have to say that the views are stunning! God is such a great creator. It was interesting to see very sudden changes of landscape - arid plains, dried-up river beds, spectacular mountain ridges of the Ethiopian highlands and the lush, green landscapes of Uganda. I saw some villages scattered around which must have views to die for.

Contrastly, the vastness of the continent and weak travel infrastructure was clearly evident in places, and one can begin to understand that, should an emergency happen in one of those places, it would take a long time to receive help. They're the kind of barriers that MAF aircraft help to overcome.

The plane flew close to the border of Sudan. I was reminded of the decades of unrest and hardship in so many parts of that country. A sad paradox in my mind while I wached the great scenery passing by...

Phew!


What happens when you cross a Boeing 777 with a Gatwick de-icer truck - quite literally? A very, very long trip to Uganda. We finally landed late yesterday afternoon, about 26 hours later than planned!

At least we were given hotal accommodation at Gatwick (pictured right) and Dubai, we we probably spent more time queuing than sleeping.

But nice to finally make it, bleary-eyed and the rest of it!