I have been bowled over.
Last year I put up a blog post about the difficulties of our
on-site clinic. My son and
daughter-in-law responded by paying for a solar medical fridge to be sent to
us. It is due to arrive in a few days’
time. It will make a huge difference to
the staff’s ability to provide medicines which cannot be accessed in Nimule due
to lack of electricity and refrigeration.
We will be able to protect our children’s health far better in future.
Late last year a friend of mine in England suggested that
she come back to Nimule with me after my trip home for Christmas. This came completely out of the blue. Hazel is a retired teacher who is devoting
her retirement to helping raise teaching standards in various African
countries.
She immediately set about collecting materials from her local
schools. By the time I arrived in London
she had amassed a huge number of books, jigsaw puzzles, building blocks,
posters and other teaching materials. My
daughter Helena, similarly produced a lot of children’s books.
There was far too much to carry as luggage, both from the
point of view of the baggage allowance and also because travel through Uganda
to South Sudan is not easy. I had
donations from a U.S. supporter and also from my daughter which combined to
provide the right amount to be able to send the heaviest items by post. As there is no post at all in South Sudan, a
missionary friend agreed that we could make use of her family’s P.O. Box
address in Uganda. Once the boxes arrive
they will bring them to South Sudan by jeep.
Hazel and I travelled back to Nimule together. Hazel immediately started rounding up the
children (literally as they are not at all disciplined) and teaching them in
small groups. I don’t know how she kept
it up, but she did. Living conditions
here are a shock to those not used to them and can be very draining. In spite of obstacles of climate and
difficult children Hazel did wonders.
Some children who I have never persuaded to study finally spent one-to-one
time, or small group time, learning basic literacy and numeracy through
games. At the end of Hazel’s stay,
several children, including some very reluctant learners, were really sad to
see her go. I have promised to keep them
in touch using my email address. The
children felt very encouraged.
Then, as you know from recent posts, we had bad news from
Fulaa about cuts to funding. I hate
looking for funds! It is not something I
get any pleasure from. Some of my
friends have listened to my embarrassing pleas and responded incredibly
generously. Thank you so much for
listening to me.
Since last week several of you have responded in different
ways, all very valuably. One friend has
donated $2,000 to Fulaa. Another has
provided funds for exercise books and pens for all those attending school. Another is holding a meeting at his church to
look at sponsoring one of the older students as a group. The costs for further education in Uganda are
huge compared to any other part of the Cornerstone budget.
My journey last week to Torit and Juba was not fruitless. A man I met on my travels is going to spread
the word in Australia at the NGO that employs him. I heard back from the director of a very
large NGO which I had visited asking for details of our accounts. That seems to me to be a very hopeful sign. If they agree to help us, we will be in a
much more secure position.
Thank you to all friends who have helped in your different
ways. The children are feeling deeply
insecure, but I now have tangible offers of help that I can remind them
about.
Please continue to support Cornerstone either through
donations via Fulaa, by spreading the word about our predicament, or in any
other way that occurs to you. If you
have contact with any churches or charities that would take an interest on a
long term basis, please pass my details on to them.
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