Together - the Blog of Together for Sudan

HIV/AIDS Outreach at Juba University Sponsored by the Women's Education Partnership

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 21:39:00 +0000

Sarah from NWERO Speaks

Sarah from NWERO (national women empowerment and rehabilitation organisation) talking to over 70 students at an outreach on the Juba University campus. This one of a series of 12 outreaches we are promoting in the town and out in the country.

In the feedback many students said that his kind of information giving open forum was much appreciated.

HIV/AIDS facititators

Sarah with the trained NWERO team selected today to deliver this important outreach. A university lecturer who attended said how valuable this outreach was for students who are the future of South Sudan.

Sarah answering questions towards the end of the session about relationships

Adult Literacy with NRC in Terekeka

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The partnership is launched with the Norwegian Refugee Council and WEP to deliver and monitor 2 adult literacy classes for women in Terekeka.

The journey was tough on very poor roads to a neglected part of South Sudan. I am celebrating in Terekeka with Ayoume Elly, the NRC local coordinator who with his team has set up our joint project. Ayoume Elly used to be head of a girls school in Yei and understands our aims well.

Peter our director with Ayoume Elly

To visit the adult literacy project - women teaching women basic skills in speaking and writing. The rural two-class project is organised and monitored by the Norwegian Refugee Council and sponsored this year by a generous WEP donor. We were amazed at what we saw after travelling for 4 hours to a place where locals have had a troubled past. Terekeka is a forgotten area with many education and social problems especially for women. The literacy project, taught by two women teachers from the community who are being trained locally, serves 99 adults, 68 women and 31 men.

A forgotten area

Women led the question and answer session

It was a large class taught by Veronica. The curriculum will include literacy and numeracy together with life skills ( teaching among other things, peace education, gender issues and trauma counselling ) and if the project runs for two years , those attending will make the equivalent of 4 years progress at primary school. We have funding for the first year at present.

Learning is serious business

Adult literacy is important to the life of the community

The class thanked us for not neglecting them - they said they really wanted to learn, to speak English and to be able to read and write.

Eager to Learn

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 13:15:00 +0000

Women are very eager to learn

The questions were about how to balance time between child care, cooking and coming to class. Also in a hot place they asked for water to be made available more easily as the classes run from 2 to 5 in the afternoon.

Attendance is very important

Babies slept in goat skins

One woman combines child care and learning effectively

Women in the upper class greeted us with singing

Basic Adult Literacy in Lojora Terekeka

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 13:07:00 +0000

Penny congratulating Abalo Vicky, the teacher of the class for first level speaking. The men and women have difficult writing and English is very much a foreign language

Penny congratulating Abalo Vicky

Rosa and Martina at Juba University

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 19:51:00 +0000

Rosa and Martina are willing to work hard to succeed

Rosa ( left ) came south from Khartoum in the middle of her science studies. She wants to be a microbiologist but the course is hard as there are hardly any facilities for practical work at the university. However, now in her fourth year, she is a strong person and on her own found work experience in the laboratory of the South Sudan Beverage Company at the brewery. Her advice to her sister Women's Education Partnership scholars " Be serious about your studies and don't give up."

Majdolin at Juba University Celebrating being a Women's Education Partnership Scholar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 19:31:00 +0000

Majdolin celebrates with a smile

Majdolin is in her 4th year at the university studying medicine. She started in Khartoum on a Together for Sudan scholarship then moved South after the independence of South Sudan. She had no chance of going to university without the scholarship. "There are problems to overcome - sometimes we have no books but since being a teenager I wanted to be a doctor and I am continuing. " Her Women's Education Partnership scholarship ( WEP is our new name ) friends elected her as their representative when we met them and Majdolin plans to make sure our group of girls stay in touch with each other and support each other as they study.

Women's Education Partnership at Juba University

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 19:16:00 +0000

Women's Education Partnership University Students in Juba

Seven of our scholarship undergraduates come together at the university. I addition, on the left, Donna is a scholarship graduate who after studying law, is now working in the judiciary. She has aspirations to become a judge and her advice to her friends was "Be serious about your studies and finish your education - never give up despite the problems. Thank you for the help. I would never have made it without my scholarship ".

Meeting a Remarkable Pioneer for Women's Education in South Sudan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 22:05:00 +0000

Peter our Director and Joy Kwaje South Sudanese MP

For Joy as she pioneers women's education through her role as an MP in parliament in South Sudan, Lillian is her role model for passion and for volunteering.

Joy confirmed that our agenda to help women was very much her agenda as she develops the new country of South Sudan.

"Women's Education Partnership, beginning to work on small scale education projects to support disadvantaged and refugee women, could not have come at a better time for us ".

She looks forward to staying close to all we do and she is very much a friend of WEP.

A talking point :- in South Sudan, out of 332 members of Parliament, 94 are women .....

Other countries take note .........

Kimu Connection

The Government Polio vaccination team use Kimu as a base

At Kimu Clinic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 21:45:00 +0000

Kimu Clinic Tecnicians with Silas

Silas, a long term friend of the Women's Education Partnership is surrounded by his cheerful team of lab technicians at Kimu Health Centre, Juba. These  ladies know that their detective skills will make a difference to the way the community becomes healthy.

Women arrive at Kimu clinic with their children

The Health Centre run by Silas Jojo and supported by WEP is a lifeline for community health

The operating theatre at Kimu clinic


The equipment has arrived thanks to very generous donations from our supporters. It's almost ready to be used and Silas predicts that the first operation will take place here this weekend. 


In response to donations of equipment, the community have gathered funds to buy an air conditioning unit. This is real Partnership working at Kimu.

Kimu Clinic Juba

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 20:50:00 +0000

Emanuelle and Mum

At Kimu health centre brave four year old Emmanuelle, watched by her anxious mother Stella ,receives an injection via a cannula to treat pneumonia. Kimu is a local health clinic on the outskirts of Juba , supported by Women's Education Partnership. The clinic brings health to the women and children of a disadvantaged and poor community of refugees.

All smiles now

All smiles after the injection is over. With the support Kimu receives from partners and friends, including WEP, the clinic is able to raise levels of health for the local community.

Landing in Juba

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 21:01:00 +0000

Just coming in to land at Juba, South Sudan

The President of Sudan was leaving after a peace making visit as we arrived in Juba. The airport was packed and the roads closed. In all the crowds we were welcomed and admitted to South Sudan. Then Penny and I walked the mile or so from the airport to the hotel past lines of waiting cars and security. 

Khartoum is hot and dusty: Juba  is hot and humid after brief torrential afternoon rains. 

This evening we had a good conversation with Maud Johansson of the Norwegian Relief Council.  Later this week we will travel for a couple of days outside Juba to visit adult education projects - women teaching women , with  WEP supporting NRC as a partner in development education for women who have materially very little indeed. This is an exciting  and a very real development for WEP and thank you to our donors. 

We can see the links building between our work in Sudan and South Sudan, helping women who are disadvantaged or displaced through education. The real joy is that In both countries we are listening to local women  who are equally passionate for this to happen.

Ibrahim and Izdihar

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 19:06:00 +0000


Ibrahim and Izdihar are two of our four Women's Education Partnership staff inSudan who coordinate and monitor our projects there.  



Ibrahim and Izdihar


Izdihar (right) has special responsibility for our 88 undergraduate students and she really knows them well and understands them. They rely on her to look after them as they learn in Khartoum, often far away from their home areas which are affected by troubles.

Ibrahim organises the classes for women we teach in adult literacy in the dusty poorer areas of Khartoum. He also helps us monitor the work we do to educate young children made orphans through HIV/Aids in 10 schools. 



We talked with them today in the office before we headed south to Juba.

Ida's Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:18:00 +0000

Without Together for Sudan, I would have had no chance in life.

Ida, originally from the Nuba Mountains, graduated in October 2012 from Africa University in Khartoum. She was one of our scholars and through this support she has gained a very Good degree in health science at Africa University Khartoum. She is now working at a government hospital as a nurse caring for patients who are suffering from heart problems and diabetes.." Without Together for Sudan, I would have had no chance in life. This allowed me to follow my dream to study and to become a nurse."

Meeting With WEP Students

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:14:00 +0000

We spent today with many of our scholarship students at Ahfad University and at the hostel we support. We have 88 young women currently studying at universities in Khartoum.

WEP Sponsored University Students (and us)


They tell of amazing stories of the power of education to change their lives. One girl from  the Nuba Mountains told us, "Without the support I have received, I would have been lost. Now I will graduate next year in Rural Extension, Education and Development and I will use my skills to help children back home understand the importance of education. 

Spot Peter and Penny! 


We are where we should be because the day belonged to our students as they enjoyed being together.

Meeting Dr Gassim

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 22:07:00 +0000

With Dr Gassim Badri ( chancellor of Ahfad University Khartoum)  and Neimat ( Women's Education Partnership/Together for Sudan coordinator in Sudan) and Izidhar ( who monitors closely for us the progress and well being of our scholars). 


Neimat and Izdihar (centre) with Dr Gassim Badri


Dr Gassim said how vital it is that disadvantaged women have access to education. We must therefore continue to expand our scholarship scheme if we can. The fact that already 285 of our scholars have graduated is an amazing and unique achievement to support Women in 
Education in this part of the world. 

We talked of how we could encourage our students even more and we are exploring running some English conversation classes for them nearby using volunteers from among our local supporters. 

Dr Gassim leads a remarkable university for women and many of our students see him as a role model for level headed and calm leadership, especially in the recent disturbances. 

Dr Gassim is one of our patrons and we thanked him personally on behalf of all our supporters  for his personal generosity and his commitment to our scholars.

Greetings from Khartoum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Khartoum is hot and dusty with people relaxing at the end of the festival. 

We were welcomed on arrival and met in the busy airport terminal with friendship and smiles. 

And! We travelled with only hand luggage !

Neimat will join us later this evening and we will greet her from friends of Together for Sudan/ Women's Education Partnership. 

Peter and Penny - Saturday evening at the Acropole, Khartoum.

New Newsletter Available

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:14:00 +0000

Our latest Together for Sudan newsletter is out. Crammed full of news about our projects and events. If you are not yet on our mailing list or receiving the newsletter by e-mail why not get a copy free from our website.

http://www.togetherforsudan.org/Documents/Newsletters/Newsletter_June%202013.pdf

From Cleaning The Office to Training to Become a Midwife

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:33:00 +0000

My name is Marry Adam Koko. I am a Nuba coming from the Haiban tribe existed in eastern part of south Kordofan state. I’m number seven in my family of 4 girls and 5 boys. Unfortunately although I’m the only one in the family who has a Sudanese certificate, I was not able to enter University. It was necessary for me to go out and earn money to help my father.

We settled in Khartoum Al-fitemab village and I did a lot of casual work to earn money and help my family before joining Together for Sudan organization as a part-time cleaner in July 2012.

My ambition has always been to complete my studies to find a better job or to acquire skills to enable me to work professionally.

I learnt about the midwifery scholarship during my work for TfS. I decided to apply because the training would develop me socially and I know that in my area there is an urgent need for trained women. There is only one midwife in our area and she is always busy.

Some of our midwives in training with Lillian, Mary is in the middle of the back row, standing next to Neimat, our in country coordinator.

“I hope sincerely, if I succeed in completing this course, to work honestly helping my people in the village where I reside and if the situations permit I would like to go back home at Nuba Mountains to disseminate the knowledge and deliver health messages and to educate my people about the family health and care.”
Thank you Together for Sudan. Without your support I would never had this opportunity.

The 2 year training scheme is supported by the government but Mary could not have joined as she is poor and needs uniform, special shoes, a special scarf, a bed sheet and some hostel accommodation together with help with some transport costs and food. Our supporters are funding Marry and another 9 women in this way. Thank you for your generosity.

Peter Hullah
Director

Martina's Story

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:09:00 +0000

Martina will not be defeated

At Juba University, Martina, a young student, arrives early at the side door of the lecture theatre. Usually it’s standing room only and she wants to get a seat in her undergraduate class.

Born in Eastern Equatoria, with no father living, Martina was displaced by war as a young child, ending up in the barren settlements in the wasteland outside Khartoum.

She struggled to gain entry into a secondary school where she saw a notice on the board advertising support offered by Together for Sudan without any religious discrimination for displaced women.

Martina was determined and after a rigorous interview, she emerged as one of our students.

Her university moved back to Juba as South Sudan became independent in 2011 and Martina moved again. She now lives with her grandmother in a basic room outside the city and despite many interruptions she is continuing to study public administration.

Recently we met Martina with her hand on that Juba side door which will lead her to a brighter future. Nothing will defeat her.

Women's Education Partnership, as we are now called, has supported 261 other girls over the last 15 years at universities and vocational colleges, all disadvantaged women, many from the Nuba Mountains.

Martina was just one of the many remarkable people Alan Goulty, Lillian Craig Harris, Penny and I met on our April visit to Khartoum and Juba. We have seen first-hand some of our literacy, eye care and HIV/Aids projects in operation and listened to the women so that in our planning for projects we can act on what they tell us to do. We have also had very joyful meetings with our scholars studying in Khartoum and Juba . Often having to struggle, they are working really hard to study so that they can find jobs and play a full part in the peaceful and healthy development of Sudan and South Sudan.

Watch this space for more Women’s Education Partnership (Together for Sudan) Good News Stories.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. There is much more we can do with your help.

Peter Hullah

Director

Moving Forwards

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:50:00 +0000

Thank you, trustees of Together for Sudan for appointing me as your new Director. It is a great privilege to be asked to continue the remarkable work which Lillian Craig Harris and Alan Goulty have done in developing life changing projects for women in Sudan and South Sudan.

During the next two months I will be working closely with Lilian and Alan to prepare for a visit to our staff in both countries. In April we will travel together to introduce me as the new director to our project leaders.

In the future, I see the role of Together for Sudan to be a partnership between generous donors, workers who are making things happen locally and the people who need help most. Developing this partnership in education will give us a renewed sense of purpose, building on the firm foundations of the past and responding positively to the challenges of the future.

This partnership will become even stronger as we listen carefully to the women who need us, try to remove the barriers to progress and plan quickly and act generously. Our first task will be to ensure that the projects which are running well are properly funded and well supported in difficult times.

Through the generosity of our donors, there is so much going on which is life changing and my hope is that we continue to stay close to the women who are in need of educational support.

On our return from our visit to Sudan and South Sudan , Lillian and I will together write a news letter to introduce you to our friends in Africa and the hopes that we and they have for the future. We want to share more stories with you where Together has made a difference.

I have been a teacher and head teacher in challenging schools where pupils have needed education most and without education, talent would have been wasted. I have seen first hand how education opens doors and makes a difference. As your new Director of Together for Sudan it is my dream that every education project and every Together for Sudan scholar should be Hopeful and I want Together for Sudan and our Partnership to be Hopeful in all that we do.

Thank you for your support and I look forward in Hope as working Together we grow stronger.

A New Director Appointed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:07:00 +0000

Peter Hullah new TfS Director

The Trustees of Together for Sudan have appointed Peter Hullah, former Principal of Northampton Academy and senior educational advisor, to be their new Director, in succession to Lillian Craig Harris, who is stepping down for health reasons.

Together for Sudan was founded in 1996 by Lillian Craig Harris in response to what Sudanese women told her about their need for education and health care services. Under her leadership Together for Sudan has supported over 250 Sudanese women to study at Sudanese and South Sudanese universities. It has expanded to undertake a range of other educational and health projects to benefit Sudanese women and children. The Trustees are grateful to Lillian for all she has accomplished and she remains the Chair of Trustees. Lillian says ‘I am delighted that Peter has been appointed. His energy, skills and experience will enable us to develop and expand our pioneering work.’

Peter’s first teaching post over 30 years ago was at a pioneering girl’s school in Uganda and since then he has been Chaplain of the King’s School, Canterbury and Head of Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester. He has also visited schools in Africa to learn at first hand what it is which makes a truly ‘Hopeful School’ for its students and for the community it serves. Before moving to Northampton Academy, The Rt Rev Peter Hullah was Bishop of Ramsbury in the Diocese of Salisbury. He chaired the Salisbury Diocesan Link with the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

Peter says, ‘It is a great privilege to be asked to work with such a committed organization, striving to make a difference for women in Sudan and South Sudan who find difficulty accessing education. I look forward to developing Together for Sudan’s existing networks which seek to offer improved educational opportunities for women in Africa where there is the most acute need.’ He will take up his post on 1st February 2013. Peter has told the Trustees that he is encouraged by what the charity has already achieved and looks forward to the challenge of mobilising further support to enable it to expand its work.

Together for Sudan focuses its work on developing educational opportunities for women in the recently reconfigured countries of Sudan and South Sudan. Alongside its educational scholarships for women, it supports literacy classes, self-help schools, HIV/Aids and eye care projects, working with local partners in one of the most challenging areas of the world. Our work is inclusive, alongside people of all religions who are committed to the education of women.

More Good News from Khartoum

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 20:32:00 +0000

The oft-postponed operations day finally took place at the Bashir hospital in the Mayo suburb of Khartoum in mid-November. 355 patients were seen of whom 300 received medicines, mostly eye-drops and vitamins. 48 operations were recommended and carried out, of which 29 were for cataracts and the remainder miscellaneous surgeries. The follow-up day to review the patients who underwent the operations will be on 13 December.

Here are some photos of some of the patients.

Deng Yoor 14 month has Ophthalmoglegia and complete Ptosis

Rogia Fateh Alrahman 75 year old she has Glaucoma in both eyes

Mary Maytout 23 years old from South Sudan she has cornia and Ptosis

Abeker Dafallah Abutemon 39 years old has Glaucouma

Waiting their turn for an operation all of them for Cataracts

Encouraging News

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Encouraging report today from our colleagues in Khartoum that our women’s literacy classes are now working well after some initial problems over venues and class timings. Now we have 19 classes working in the suburbs of Khartoum and Omdurman, for women who have been displaced, mostly from the Nuba Mountains and western Sudan (Darfur). Our monitoring in November showed an average attendance of 22 at the classes, which are held three times a week. The photo shows our largest class at Wad al Bashir, a suburb of Omdurman. We hope that at the end of their course in March 2014, the women will be able to tackle the government’s basic literacy exam.

Why I Support.......

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 22:54:00 +0000

A quote from a generous sponsor of one of our university scholars at Ahfad University:

Much can be done - given the chance

“Over twenty five years ago I went to Sudan as a very young and very inexperienced teacher to work in a girls’ secondary school. I was humbled both by the immense generosity and kindness of the girls I had the blessing to meet there and their determination, often despite incredible personal hardship, to continue their education, become qualified and go on to serve their community. They knew instinctively that education was liberating and empowering and treasured every moment they had at school. Sadly, because of their family circumstances, so few of them were able to go to university.

Education empowers and that is why I was so happy to help Together for Sudan in its essential work in building educational programs and in particular, by helping a young woman from the Nuba Mountains to go to university. It is personally thrilling to be able to follow her progress and feel that in a small way I have helped repay my debt to the people of Sudan.”

Learn more about our University Scholarship Project

Zamzam Success

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Our colleagues are now all back at work in Khartoum after ten days’ holiday for the Eid (including two weekends!). They report another successful eye care outreach, which was held at Zamzam pre-school in the Haj Yousif suburb of Khartoum North on 31 October.

104 patients were seen including 61 children. 71 received medicines and 8 were referred for corrective lenses. 11 operations were recommended of which 3, all cataract surgeries, were carried out in the Jubra Clinic on 4 November.

Thanks to all those involved and to our generous donors.

Learn more about our TfS eye care project here