Update on the work of the SVP in Sudan
(edited extracts)
October 23, 2006
Greetings from the SVP in Sudan
We are pleased to submit a report about the Projects that are now in operation:-
The School Children Program:-
We are pleased to report that the following programs are operating satisfactorily:
Street Children:
The schools have already opened and all the children are attending to their lessons. We had to provide them with educational materials, uniforms and shoes. Also we had to retire some of the bigger boys who were not serious in their studies. We supplied them with some incentives to live on.
Babies Feeding:-
The babies are provided with a meal five (5) or six (6) days a week according to the need. The service is provided in eighteen (18) Centers. Some of these centers are located at one hundred (100) km (To & From) away from Khartoum City Center, some with rough roads.
However, some of the Centers have been damaged by the heavy rains that took place. We are now maintaining them.
This program is badly needed as many families are from the displaced populations – who had to run for their lives due to civil unrest. The majority are poor, that is why our contribution is vital to them.
The registration number of babies we are feeding is Nine Thousand (9,200), but about Ten (10) to Fifteen (15) percent more are also being fed by us.
So, the only thanks we can send from them to our dear Donors are the beautiful smiles (of satisfaction) of the little babies after having had their meal. To us is a sort of recognition and prayer.
Vocational Training:
We are pleased to report that some Organizations in Sudan such as Save the Children UK (SCUK) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has asked us to give Skills Training to 1000 young males and females in our five (5) Centers per year. This is in addition to the displaced people we are already training, their number is now is about 2000.
You agree with us that this is a great achievement and it gives a lot of image to our work as an NGO.
Water Project:
We contracted with Messrs CAFOD of England to supply water to eight (8) schools where CAFOD is providing water tanks. The water will be provided from St. Vincent de Paul’s Well in Omdurman by means of our vehicles.
Medical Project:
We are very proud of this program because through it we are able now to treat and give medicines to about 40,000 patients per year. We are happy to mention that the International Council of the Society in Paris released for us Euros 100,000 in two (2) installments. We intend to use it to finance this project. We are grateful for this generous donation which we badly need.
Projects in the South Sudan:
Renk:
We are very pleased to report that during the past few weeks we graduated 263 persons in first aid, health awareness, respect for the environment, home nursing in Renk which is part of the land of the South. Excellent celebrations took place. The project was much appreciated by the people there.
Some of the trainees, after receiving their certificates, are now working with local ministry of health at Renk. We promised to repeat the program in some other areas there if the finances allow for that.
Vocational Training in Juba – Capital of the South:
A delegation headed by the under signed left for Juba sometime ago for a fact finding mission concerning a skills’ Training to be established there. The project is requested by Rev Sister Emmanuelle. Her Associations are serious about it. Studies are going on and hope to come to a conclusion soon.
We hope that St. Vincent UK and Wales will find a way to participate; of course, if their finances will allow that.
Other News:
A) Floods:
The Sudan suffered during the recent rainy season from heavy rains and floods. We thank the Society in England & Wales that through the efforts of brothers Ian and Terry we received our emergency donation of sterling 10,000. Please accept our thanks for this. A good part of donation was already used.
B) Rates of exchange:
In the past the dollar ($) was worth 266 Dinars. Now it is valued by the Government to be 208. This big drop badly affected our income. At the same time the drop has not affected the cost of goods / commodities in the market. On the contrary we understand that the inflation rate is still high.
C) Situation in Darfur:
Let us all pray that peace comes to this land. According to recent news reaching here from there, 40,000 refugees, due to continuation of hostilities will have to be sheltered by the United Nations inside Chad.
Our Society now has an office in Geneina, on the borders with Chad where we are giving skills training to more than 1480 young men & women in different skills adult education and recreational program. This in order for them to be involved in useful matters other than killing one other. We are most grateful to Canada War Child Organization for their support to us.
D) Twinnage:
we all appreciate the efforts of our SVP brothers and sisters in England and Wales for the twinnage program and the other financial matters, also the SVDP conference for twining with the SVDP Sudan conferences. This gives the chance for sharing and praying for each other.
The number of our conferences now is 180.
Thanks to Donors:
At the end of this report we have to reiterate our thanks and appreciation to the very generous donors who are supporting our programs. We ask our Lord to bless them all and reward them in His own way. He is always concerned with the poor and is asking us to do the same. We cannot and should not close our ears and eyes to the cries of those in need. We should be concerned with their affliction.
We are now investigating the role to be played by our Society Sudan in case the hostilities continue for a further period. We are contemplating a visit to the diocese of ElObied, under whose jurisdiction, Darfour falls.
Christmas is fast approaching and we take this opportunity to wish our Vincentian Brothers and Sisters a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year and we repeat again our many thanks to all our donors and we much appreciated their generosity.
Rev. Kamal Samaan
Sectratary General
SVDP - Sudan
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