I have woken up to the fact that it is almost one year since
I arrived in Nimule. Time has flown
by. Much has changed in that time, very
much for the better.
When I arrived I was appalled by what I found both in the
home and in the school. I had been asked
by Pastor Samuel, the chair of the American charity Fulaa which founded both
home and school, to report on any concerns.
I did so. This caused great
antagonism here. Coupled with that, some of the
staff very strongly disapproved of Catholics and made their views felt
strongly and very rudely. Their treatment of the
children was very lacking in love and care.
However, things have gradually changed at the home. Yes, things are very basic in material terms,
but there has been a big shift in attitude so that the children really feel
loved and cared for now. At the last
government inspection in April we were one of very few children’s homes to pass. Our matron was
recently told that our home was judged the best in the whole of Eastern
Equatoria. By contrast, the other local
orphanage is being forced to close because of their appalling neglect of the
children. They tried to stop the
inspectors from entering but had to be forced (literally, by armed soldiers) to
admit them.
I have seen the proof of how good the home now is through
watching the reception of several new children recently. All four children settled into life here
quickly and happily, immediately making new friends and becoming part of the
family. This is in spite of the terrible
events that brought them here. The first
three are a brother and two sisters whose parents were murdered in the
fighting further north in Bor. The last
arrival is a nine year old boy whose mother brought him south from Sudan and
then abandoned him. He had been
surviving as a street child in Torit (the state capital) by polishing
shoes. All happily playing, laughing and
trying to catch up on their missed education.
What is euphemistically called ‘the situation’ broke in mid-December,
causing us all to worry that we might need to escape across the border to
Uganda. Thankfully, so far our fears have
turned out to be misplaced. Most of
Equatoria (we are in Eastern Equatoria State) has been peaceful throughout. The only exception has been Juba, which is
the capital both of the country and of Central Equatoria State.
I spent six weeks in Kampala from May to June while my new
passport was issued. I had really
resented the interruption to my work in Nimule but in fact there were
benefits. I met and stayed with a lovely
lay religious community called the Grail where I was able to recharge my
batteries, physically and spiritually.
The head of the community is a writer of adult and child fiction. Her books aim to give a message of social and
religious reform. She gave me a present
of two of her children’s books to take back.
The children here love them.
Books are very scarce in South Sudan, so there is little motivation to
read. These books are particularly good
because they are from a similar culture which the children can easily identify
with. I have a standing invitation to go
back to stay with them again.
The children welcomed me back very emotionally and lovingly
when I finally returned. I found to my
surprise that the staff at the home had completely changed their attitude to me
in my absence so that they were also very welcoming. Their very prejudiced attitude towards
Catholics has changed too so that I no longer suffer from their adversarial
religious statements. In fact I am
regularly invited to read and preach at morning devotions and run a Bible study
session every Saturday with the full support of staff.
I continued to have problems at the school but now had
Pastor Abdullah (the director of the home and also director of education at the
school) on my side. That was a great
relief. The school has been a tougher
nut than the home, but even there, a breakthrough has finally happened. We had staff training for the teachers at the
end of term from a very prestigious school in Kampala. This was organised by Pastor Abdullah, who
has a child at that school. It was a
huge success. At first the teachers were
very resentful, but they were completely won over by day two.
We are now looking forward to the start of term in
mid-September with a whole new approach.
No caning, teachers to set an example of arriving early, teachers in
each class all day, a homework policy, a whole school approach to reading using
a very lively phonics method (Jolly Phonics), a method of teaching handwriting,
the abolition of the staff room…. It
will be a very different school if all goes well. The big draw for the teachers is the promise
that if we can really turn the school around, word will spread and the school
will become a centre of learning locally.
They have been promised that they will be head-hunted by other
schools! For me, the importance of this
change is that it will show other local schools an example so that higher
standards of education will gradually spread everywhere.
The teachers came away positive and ready to put their new
training, both academic and disciplinary, into place. There are difficulties to be overcome, such
as the lack of much needed resources, such as desks and photocopier, but we are
finally getting there..
Throughout everything I have had the support of American
missionaries who are based on the other side of town. I visit them regularly. They and the local Catholic parish priest
have been a steadying influence when I have been having particularly difficult
times. They have been able to raise funds for extra fruit and vegetables for the home and pass on their children's outgrown clothes too.
The icing on the cake for me on a personal level is that I
have been invited to be godmother to a baby at the local Catholic Church. I really look forward to being a part of the
community outside the home and school as a result.
I am planning a celebration for the children on the
anniversary of my arrival here. My
missionary friends have promised to make a large cake for the occasion, which
will be a major treat for the children.
I am trying to keep this a secret from them.
I am so glad I came to Nimule. I am hoping that my children will visit at
some stage in the coming year.
Best wishes to you all,
Rebecca
