Presbyterian World Mission

Transcription

1 Presbyterian World Mission South Sudan Education and Peacebuilding Project (SSEPP) 3nd Quarter 2016 Summary Report Report Outline: I. Brief South Sudan Context Update II. EDUCATION Update 1. Capacity Building with Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (PCOSS) Education Department 2. Teacher Training through Yei Teacher Training College (YTTC) 3. Mobile Teacher Training 4. Community Mobilization for Education 5. Support of Targeted Communities III. PEACEBUILDING Update 6. RECONCILE Peace Institute 7. Collaboration with Partners IV. Testimonies of Impact V. Challenges VI. Financial Update VII. Mission Co-Workers Update I. Brief South Sudan Context Update: Mission Statement of Presbyterian Education Complex of Pochalla Since the fighting early in July things have returned to normal in Juba. This is not to say that there is peace or stability at this point, but there is not gunfire daily. Other areas of South Sudan are not so fortunate as they still have heavy fighting in some regions. Lynn and Sharon Kandel returned to Juba on September 30, 2016 and found things were in some ways the same and others vastly changed. The cost of everything has gone up considerably. They wonder how people can make ends meet when people are paid a salary of 500 SSP a month and a bag of grain can be over 1000 SSP! Life in the UN camps is not any better with the Red Cross and other agencies not being allowed to bring in aide to those in need. While people in the camps do get subsistence food, it is nearly enough and the water available is not enough for the large numbers of people in the camps. This all sounds very discouraging and depressing and yet people hold on to hope hope that peace will finally come and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church in South Sudan is strong and growing and doing what it can to influence those in government positions. We still see smiles on faces of people as we walk around Juba. The singing at churches during the night is uplifting to hear and the messages from the pulpit have been about forgiveness and putting the past behind us.

2 II. EDUCATION Update: 1. Capacity Building with PCOSS Education Department: A new PCOSS Education Board was elected and received three days of training. In addition to the board members, PCOSS presbytery moderators and school managers were in attendance to grapple with the challenges facing its schools and set strategies for providing education in a difficult and often-changing South Sudan context. PCOSS Education Board training-meeting the challenges even in the midst of crisis. Board training-building for a future of peace. 2. Teacher Training through Yei Teacher Training College (YTTC): Due to an escalation of conflict in July, Yei Teacher Training College (YTTC) closed before the end of the third academic term. The six SSEPP scholarship recipients enrolled in the pre-service program were successfully evacuated from the tenuous setting and are now with their families in various areas of the country. The eight inservice students scheduled to begin their studies in August did not do so due to the school s continuing closure. In order to reopen in its present location, the YTTC administrators will need to ensure that the following factors are in place: Security, especially along the major roads to Yei; access to adequate food to feed over 300 students; and a normalized economy in terms of the food inflation/prices. The PCOSS Education Department is monitoring the students during this time away from studies. They are encouraged to review their notes and engage in practice teaching in their home schools. A program for continued mentoring and trauma healing is being planned, particularly because some of the students live in areas receiving the greatest bombardment and loss during the July conflict. 3. Mobile Teacher Training YTTC 2016 Scholarship recipients ACROSS has been working very hard to get the Mobile Teacher Training Program up and running. With all the ups and downs with security in places like Pochalla and Pibor it has been hard to get started. Pochalla has been secure enough that ACROSS has begun working there. They have hired an Education Mobilizer who started working the beginning of September. This person will coordinate the training and follow up with the

3 teacher and will also keep in close contact with the Ministry of Education. ACROSS has also been able to hire an experienced Training Consultant who will start the end of September. The main contact for the Project at ACROSS: James Obedmot. 4. Community Mobilization for Education: The Akatgol PCOSS Primary School received ceiling and floor maintenance in two of its classrooms. Construction began at the New Site PCOSS Primary School for a classroom block of two classes. Much of the physical labor of carrying sand and offloading materials was donated by members of the Africa Area Coordinator, Debbie Braaksma with James Obedmot from ACROSS community. (In her Second Quarter 2016 MCP letter, Leisa Wagstaff shared the challenges and successes of the New Site community as they struggled to bring education to their children.) Activities in Objectives Three and Four were a direct result of SSEPP s advocacy to government, NGO agencies and The Outreach Foundation for support to PCOSS schools, both within country and in areas where the South Sudanese have sought physical, emotional and food security. 5. Support of Targeted Communities New site PCOSS Primary School-internally displaced persons working for Education. Basic school supplies (text and exercise books), water tanks, school uniforms, and plastic chairs were sourced for PCOSS schools in the Gambella area refugee camps in Ethiopia and the Kakuma Camp in Kenya. These distributions are impacting hundreds of children and adult learners. An Education Project Coordinator was appointed to oversee and care for PCOSS school communities in the refugee camps in Ethiopia. III. PEACEBUILDING Update 5. RECONCILE Peace Institute 2016 On July 8 fighting broke out in Juba. At first it seemed the fighting and uncertainty would be limited to Juba but as time went on it spread and Yei became a town under siege. This meant that RECONCILE staff were forced to leave the city and are now in Uganda. They are considering different plans for the future, one of which might be to have the office for RECONCILE in Juba and travel back and forth to South Sudan. This is a very uncertain time and no plans have been finalized. We ask for prayers as they look to the future and what is best for RECONCILE and the students. They have three different options for the future and are in prayer about which one is the best for everyone. IV. Testimonies of Impact

4 This has been a hard quarter for many, with having to leave Yei or Juba for security reasons. This has made it hard for us to have contact with everyone. While we have no direct quotes from people, I would like to say that everyone we talk to, from PCOSS to ACROSS to RECONCILE, are all looking to the future and getting classes started again and helping communities to find peace and get their children in school. In many ways people are even more determined than before. V. Challenges Insecurity on roads: This continues to be a very big problem. The Juba to Yei road is extremely dangerous at this time as well as most roads going out of Juba. This means all our transportation needs to be by plane and not all locations have planes flying to them. Food availability and the value of the South Sudanese Pound have decreased this quarter. Crime is increasing. With the outbreak of fighting in July many of the students and church leaders have had to flee the country. We are seeing a slow return of the church leaders which, we hope, will start to encourage others to also return. VI. Financial Update We are thankful for the financial support received through the end of the third quarter of $46,400. We have also received over $11,000 in gifts so far in the 4 th quarter with an additional $51,500 pledged to be in before the end of Because of the fighting that broke out in July many things were put on hold. Our partners have been willing to work with our reduced budget and still try to get the most from the money they have received. An example of this would be an ACROSS person who was on leave due to security issues was then able to help with the Mobile Teacher Training at a reduced cost. Again, we give thanks to God for providing for our needs especially during this difficult time for South Sudan. Please continue to share about this project with others through many people, great things can happen and are already happening.

5 VII. Mission co-workers Updates Leisa Wagstaff: Regrettably, I had to leave Juba in July because of the intense fighting between government and opposition forces. Those five days were some of the worst days of my life and I can only imagine the horribleness in which many South Sudanese are experiencing all over the country as insecurity continues to abound. During the time away, I had the opportunity to visit with a few supporters, spend precious moments in caring for ageing relatives, and rejoice with my two-year-old grandson as he became potty-trained, started reading, and learned to ride a tricycle. Many moments were devoted to prayer for my South Sudanese friends and co-workers left behind as they struggled for food, safe spaces to live, and reunification with scattered family members. Now that I have returned to South Sudan, I am praying that the advanced trauma healing training I did while in the USA will be used to bring a sense of healing to the citizens, especially children, whose hearts and minds have only known pain, suffering, disappointment, fear, and broken promises. Your prayers are needed. Lynn and Sharon Kandel: We spent the 3 rd quarter in the USA getting to meet many of our supporters and those supporting the Education and Peace Building Project. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people, put faces to names, and catch up with friends and family. Our time was extended by two months due to the fighting in July. We waited (not so patiently) for the green light to return. The time with each congregation was very special and it is uplifting and humbling to know that so many people are praying for us and the people of South Sudan. We are grateful for the hospitality shown us, the interest in our brothers and sisters in South Sudan, and the prayers for peace that you have all pledged. Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather: Our family returned to the US to welcome our third child and for a few speaking engagements. We did not know that days after we left, South Sudan would fall back into war. Friends with whom we shared meals in our home in Yei are now struggling in refugee camps. When fighting broke out, most of our RECONCILE colleagues fled to Uganda. They now hope to reach South Sudanese refugees with the ministries of trauma healing and reconciliation, and our family hopes to reunite with our colleagues in January. We do not know when we will be able to return to South Sudan. It is a time of waiting and discerning. We also want to share the good news that God delivered, Nicole Kristi Smith-Mather into our lives on October 13th. Baby and mother are doing well. Thank you so much for your prayers. To meet critical needs for education and peacebuilding in South Sudan, make an online gift to the South Sudan Education and Peacebuilding Project. Checks, payable to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), may also be mailed to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), PO Box , Pittsburgh, PA Please write E in the memo line of your check to ensure it is designated for this project.