Hard work in the heat

I arrived in South Sudan on Monday in the shuttle that runs from our Kenya base in Nairobi twice a week. As soon as you land on the airstrip in Juba, the heat and humidity have you instantly sweating. As it happened, the same time we were arriving, the President and Vice-President both arrived in a private plane. As we were being ushered to immigration, we saw them entering a 4x4 that was protected by a fleet of military armoured vehicles. They shut the roads down as the convoy left the airport at speed. It was an interesting first experience of South Sudan.

 After a short five minute drive, we arrived at the MAF compound and met the staff.  It was an early night as the next day was promising to be hard work. I was up and at the compound for 6.30am where we loaded the pick-up truck with cargo and headed over to the airstrip to prepare the plane and load the cargo and passengers. We were flying a Medair team (see picture) to different locations around the country. First, we landed at Pibor, an area that has seen recent inter-tribal clashes between the Lou Nuer and Murle claiming hundreds of lives and the theft of thousand of livestock (many people's only source of income). Flying into the Pibor airstrip, I could see the remains of burn settlements, a sad reminder left by the fighting. It was hard to grasp that the events I had been reading about in the news only a few weeks before had taken place right where I was standing. Thankfully, together with MAF's help, Medair are running nutrition, water and sanitation projects providing essential care to those who have lost everything.

 The next stop was Malakal where Medair have an administration and logistics office. After picking up staff, it was on to Renk, a county in the far north of South Sudan and the home to thousands of refugees who have been returning from the north since the secession last year. The people that surronded the plane, many children (see picture), were malnutrioned and tired. It was a tough experience but thanks to groups like Medair, the people are getting help. We got back that evening at 6pm and I was finished, it was 7 hours of flying time with 4 stops.

Straight back at it again, I met Ryan (the same pilot) at 6.30am the following morning. This time, we were flying 900kg of building materials for a health clinic in Mayendit a two hour flight away. On arrival, we were greeted by Reverend Daniel Atong and his team (see picture) who head up Assistant Mission in Africa. The new health clinic will be focussing on help and education for HIV/AIDS. Daniel Atong told me that it was a serious problem in the area and there were no clinics to educate or help the people. Thanks to MAF and the Assistant Mission in Africa team, the clinic will now provide support to an area that is home to over a 100,000 people. After returning from the flight at 2pm, Pilot Ryan loaded up the plane again but this time no room for me.

 Over the last two days of flying, I am blown away by what I had seen. Not only by the immense needs in South Sudan and the work of our partners, but also by the commitment and effort of the staff here at MAF South Sudan- the long days in the energy-sapping heat are hard work. So far, my time here has been insightful and inspiring. Will post again soon. Blessings, Zach.