They walked. and walked. and walked. Without warning they had to walk. Some were lucky and could jump on a truck, many were not. So they walked. 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 50 miles, 100 miles, 150 miles, no food, no shelter, no protection. Bombs dropped, guns shooting, mom here, child there, people everywhere. Nowhere to go, so they walk.
As much as we should be thinking about our own security, it difficult to hear the reports of those fleeing, leaving behind everything and then ending up somewhere that accepts them but doesn't have the resources to support them. There is no new news on the situation in Abyei, the south does not want to go to war and they have sent troops to keep the north from moving any further south. As I see troops head north, I see people flee south. Given the economic climate and budget shortfalls, the World Food Programme(WFP) has not been able to operate at the capacity it use to. Food rations are not enough. Materials that provide shelter are not enough. The lucky ones are able to seek refuge in a school at night or with someone in the community they are in, but many are not, and are sleeping under trees and make shift shelters...during the rainy season. The lack of fuel due to the north cutting off the road that fuel was brought in on causes delays in getting necessary supplies to where they need to be. So people wait. 10,000 or so people waiting. What next, know one really knows. They may have to settle where they are but many may not. Home is where they walked from and home is where they want to be.
This past weekend, I traveled to Wau to drop a colleague off at the airport and pick up supplies for the compound. Wau is about an 1 1/2 drive from the compound and is the major city in this area because it is where the shipments from the north are received. Due to the ongoing conflict here, the infrastructure was never developed for the transportation of materials from the south. The south up until recently has been dependent on the north for it's goods. Since the CPA and referendum the south has been opening its borders to their neighbors in order to import needed materials from there. All though the southern region is benefiting from this, the northern part of the southern region is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The mechanisms that need to be put in place in order for materials to be transported from the southern part of the south to the northern part of the south just aren't there causing the northern part of the south to have a heavy reliance on their northern neighborhood. But then the north cuts off transport into the south. Nothing is coming down and things that are coming up are not coming up quick enough for the demand. Fuel is no longer being disbursed. The only fuel station in operation was given orders not to supply any vehicles with fuel unless those vehicles are given permission by the governor, and even after they are given permission by the governor, they still have to wait because first priority is given to military and government vehicles. The reduction in fuel, means a reduction in movement. NGOs that are responsible for delivering services to those that need it, now, more than ever, have to figure out what and who are the most important. But how do you do that? Suspend one project that people are benefiting from to ensure that another project continues. The markets are emptying out, airtime is in limited supply, and all we can do it wait and see. Folks are working on it. They're going to figure out a solution, but until then we wait. Luckily for us, we have connections to Juba so are solutions will come soon enough, but some don't, so they wait.
Learning and seeing this first hand, experiencing this, although not as severely as others, has reminded me that I need to count my blessings and appreciate all that I do have. I have shelter. Clean water. A relatively safe place to live. Food to sustain me. Bug spray to kill the bugs that invade my space. Access to a way out if things get too hard. I will always be able to look at what I have, even if I may think it's small or inadequate and know that there is someone out there with far less. I''ve seen it. I've heard it. I know it.
I don't think a person needs to come to South Sudan to recognize their blessings. Look around you, there are people who are "walking" in search of that safe place all around us. We (myself included) get caught up in so many trivial things that in retrospect just are not that serious and in retrospect it can be a whole lot worse. Ask the mother who can't find her child after an air raid has caused them to flee. Ask the child who can't find their family because they have perished during the conflict. Ask the family that has not been given enough rations for every member to eat one meal a day. Its real. They're here. They're there. And although I know I can't end the suffering of them all, I can at least be grateful for everything, even if it is small, that I have been blessed with.
And there you have it.
I'm here, i'm alive, i'm happy, healthy, and grateful.
As much as we should be thinking about our own security, it difficult to hear the reports of those fleeing, leaving behind everything and then ending up somewhere that accepts them but doesn't have the resources to support them. There is no new news on the situation in Abyei, the south does not want to go to war and they have sent troops to keep the north from moving any further south. As I see troops head north, I see people flee south. Given the economic climate and budget shortfalls, the World Food Programme(WFP) has not been able to operate at the capacity it use to. Food rations are not enough. Materials that provide shelter are not enough. The lucky ones are able to seek refuge in a school at night or with someone in the community they are in, but many are not, and are sleeping under trees and make shift shelters...during the rainy season. The lack of fuel due to the north cutting off the road that fuel was brought in on causes delays in getting necessary supplies to where they need to be. So people wait. 10,000 or so people waiting. What next, know one really knows. They may have to settle where they are but many may not. Home is where they walked from and home is where they want to be.
This past weekend, I traveled to Wau to drop a colleague off at the airport and pick up supplies for the compound. Wau is about an 1 1/2 drive from the compound and is the major city in this area because it is where the shipments from the north are received. Due to the ongoing conflict here, the infrastructure was never developed for the transportation of materials from the south. The south up until recently has been dependent on the north for it's goods. Since the CPA and referendum the south has been opening its borders to their neighbors in order to import needed materials from there. All though the southern region is benefiting from this, the northern part of the southern region is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The mechanisms that need to be put in place in order for materials to be transported from the southern part of the south to the northern part of the south just aren't there causing the northern part of the south to have a heavy reliance on their northern neighborhood. But then the north cuts off transport into the south. Nothing is coming down and things that are coming up are not coming up quick enough for the demand. Fuel is no longer being disbursed. The only fuel station in operation was given orders not to supply any vehicles with fuel unless those vehicles are given permission by the governor, and even after they are given permission by the governor, they still have to wait because first priority is given to military and government vehicles. The reduction in fuel, means a reduction in movement. NGOs that are responsible for delivering services to those that need it, now, more than ever, have to figure out what and who are the most important. But how do you do that? Suspend one project that people are benefiting from to ensure that another project continues. The markets are emptying out, airtime is in limited supply, and all we can do it wait and see. Folks are working on it. They're going to figure out a solution, but until then we wait. Luckily for us, we have connections to Juba so are solutions will come soon enough, but some don't, so they wait.
Learning and seeing this first hand, experiencing this, although not as severely as others, has reminded me that I need to count my blessings and appreciate all that I do have. I have shelter. Clean water. A relatively safe place to live. Food to sustain me. Bug spray to kill the bugs that invade my space. Access to a way out if things get too hard. I will always be able to look at what I have, even if I may think it's small or inadequate and know that there is someone out there with far less. I''ve seen it. I've heard it. I know it.
I don't think a person needs to come to South Sudan to recognize their blessings. Look around you, there are people who are "walking" in search of that safe place all around us. We (myself included) get caught up in so many trivial things that in retrospect just are not that serious and in retrospect it can be a whole lot worse. Ask the mother who can't find her child after an air raid has caused them to flee. Ask the child who can't find their family because they have perished during the conflict. Ask the family that has not been given enough rations for every member to eat one meal a day. Its real. They're here. They're there. And although I know I can't end the suffering of them all, I can at least be grateful for everything, even if it is small, that I have been blessed with.
And there you have it.
I'm here, i'm alive, i'm happy, healthy, and grateful.
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