Abraham Manyok

Abraham Manyok Thuch
Abraham is 25 years old and comes from the Upper Nile region of Sudan, in a village called Poktap. When he was about 12 years old, the rebel army began training him to be a soldier, and when he was old enough at 16, he was put into battle. He fought only once, and then decided to escape the army in 1999, crossed the river Nile into the Bahr-el-Gazal region of Southern Sudan, and eventually made it to (relative) safety in Uganda in 1999. Some workers of the UN sponsored World Food Program brought him to Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya in 2000, where he lived for 4 years. While he came to Nairobi in 2004, he didn’t enroll in Sud Academy until 2006 because he was very ill. His favourite subjects are history, government and religious studies. He is looking forward to attending school this year so that he can be properly equipped to move on to study politics or military science in university. He hopes to become a politician in Sudan so that he can defend the rights of his people. Manyok would like to say may God bless those who are kind enough to think of others in need, like him and his fellow classmates.

Dennis Muyodi

Dennis Muyodi Otieno
Dennis is a 20 year old boy who attends Sud Academy, but is actually Kenyan by birth. He came to Nairobi to live with his cousin in 2006 after his parents passed away. Because Kenyan school fees are expensive, he decided to join Sud because the fees are manageable enough for his cousin to pay. He says without the presence of Sud Academy, he would not have been able to continue studying without the support of guardians or sponsors. He loves chemistry in school, but also is interested in history and Kiswahili, Kenya’s official language. After graduating Form 4, he hopes to become a doctor so he can help those in need. He encourages his supporters to continue in their spirit of helping, and wishes them the best as a thank you!

Francis Bangoang

Francis Bangoang Riek
Francis was born in the region of Benitu in Southern Sudan, and while he is unsure of his birth date, he estimates that he is about 29 years old. He last saw his mom and dad in 1989, when there were clashes in his village between Southern rebel forces and the northern Arab militia. He is unsure if his parents were killed or if they managed to escape the attack, but he was captured by the rebel force and taken to Ethiopia where he lived for 2 years training as a soldier. In 1992, he was shot while traveling by UN escort and remained in Kenya to receive treatment to his wound. He lived in northern Kenya for 14 years in Kakuma refugee camp, until 2006, when he travelled to Nairobi for safety. He entered Form 2 (gr.10) in 2007 at Sud Academy. He says he loves all subjects, but especially sciences, history and government, and religion. He hopes to be a doctor one day, and wants to thank the donors for sponsoring the completion of his high school diploma. He says these people have helped him go from having nothing, to having the chance of becoming something.

Kuot Maduot

Kuot Maduot Kuot
Kuot is 26 years old and comes from Tonj county and a village called Rualbet. When Kuot was 1 year old, his parents passed away and villagers took on the task of raising him until 1999. The UNHCR rescued him from his village and took him by bus to Kakuma refugee camp, where he lived until 2007. In 2008, repatriation of Sudanese refugees was taking place as peach had finally come to Souther Sudan. Even though he was welcome to go home, he had no parents, no relatives, no home and no school. Hearing of Sud Academy, he travelled to Nairobi in 2008 to enroll in Form 3 (gr.11). He says his favourite subjects are the sciences and if he has a chance to go to university, he would love to become a doctor. He says may God bless those who are offering him and his classmates the opportunity of learning, and thank you for helping those Sudanese who have been suffering for too long.

Lino Madut

Lino Madut Angok
Lino is 25 years old and comes from Twic county, and a village called Mading. His journey to Sud Academy is a long and treacherous one that started in 1994 when he was captured by the Arab militia in his village and sold as a slave to an elderly woman in northern Sudan. His life as a slave for 4 years included regular beatings in the morning, and frequent starvation to force him to do work. When there was food, it was often mixed with dirt and stones. His duty was to look after cattle and goats, and he often went into the bush by himself with the animals. Here, he met some Nubian Sudanese (black northerners) boys and they inquired about his life as a slave. They told him of an church based organization called Redemption that could help him escape. Fearing for his life if he was caught escaping, he stalled for a couple weeks until finally letting them approach his owner. She threatened to kill them all if he left, but a couple days later while in the bush, he met with the Nubian boys and ran away in 1998. He eventually made it to Kakuma refugee camp in 1999, and lived there until 2006. When repatriation was occurring after the peace agreement in Sudan, Lino said he was too afraid to return to a country where he has no home, no parents, and the possibility of being captured and tortured again. He enrolled at Sud Academy in 2006, where he hopes to become a teacher one day. He loves politics and computers, and wishes to remain in Kenya for the long term. He is very appreciative of attending Sud the past couple years, and promises to pass with good grades at his new school thanks to his donors! God will bless their kindness.

Here is a photo taken this week of the 5 boys who wish to begin their senior year of high school. (from left: Dennis Muyodi, Lino Madut, Kuot Madut Kuot, Abraham Manyok, Francis Bangoang)

The Right to an Education

There is in existence a universal document that symbolizes the basic assumptions of what it means to be a human on this planet, interacting with those around us, and functioning as an individual imbedded in small collections of other free-willed individuals. From a Hobbesian perspective, the world’s citizens have an intrinsic dog-eat-dog instinct, and as such, it is necessary to have bodies that design and enforce laws, guidelines and limitations on power in order to protect those of us who are unlucky enough to be born without an upper hand. This system of guidelines, and indeed laws, is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and was enacted in 1948. For more than six decades these laws have existed, and for six decades, every country in the world has been complicit in violating, to varying degrees, their basic tenets. One among these is the right to education. Here is what the Charter says about it:

Article 26

1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

Please click on map to see full view.

Even a brief glance at the literacy rates map provided by the UN indicates an extreme inequity in the fulfillment of these laws. Education today is being treated as a privilege rather than a right. It’s a shameful hindrance to the advancement of our modern civilization and there is nowhere in the world where this is more evident than on the continent of Africa.

Plagued by famine, corruption, droughts, civil wars, disease, poverty and genocide, this continent has found it next to impossible to educate its population. I believe that, at least to a substantial extent, this is the reason Africa has failed to leave tragedy in the past and catch up to the rest of the world. Knowledge truly is power, and it is something that is severely lacking in this corner of the world.

My experience here in Nairobi with the refugee students at Sud Academy has been an enlightening one. I have seen a thirst for education that is unprecedented anywhere else I have been. From what I can tell, education and knowledge are the most important tools the students wish to possess- this is their ticket out of war and disease, of hunger and idleness. They ask me to come early to teach them, and stay after dark so they can gain access to what little knowledge of the way things work that I have. They request I bring them my books from home, whatever the subject, or that I go buy them textbooks to learn about literature, history and religion to name a few. They demand I find them sponsors from the people at home so that they may continue learning until they become independent of hand outs. They say they must become doctors, lawyers, politicians and priests so that they can lead the way in a New Sudan, so they can guide their brothers and sisters, they say, into a freer world that focuses on the future rather than survival.

So you must imagine what it is like for me when I have to tell them I do not have access to thousands of dollars to help them all. As a self-proclaimed academic (I really like to think so, but it’s a wobbly true identity at best), it frustrates me to tell them I do not have the means to help. It angers me that they even have to ask, in a world where it is actually law for citizens to receive an education. And free at that.

Sud Academy’s funding for this year is less than it was in 2008. It’s no surprise, given the state of international financial markets, and the looming debt and bailouts that governments across the globe now face. Bank accounts shrinking, rising unemployment rates, less credit and more financial insecurity are all very real threats to economic stability, let alone growth. Explaining this complex web of how an interdependent world works falls on deaf ears here. “Do you still have a car? Do you still have a house? Are you able to buy rice? Do you have a toilet? Are you free from disease?” If the answers are yes, even to only some of these questions, most students at Sud Academy cannot possibly imagine being so lucky. Anyone who answers yes to all these questions is wealthy beyond their wildest dreams.

The point of my post, and the inspiration behind it, is this: there are five students at Sud who were supposed to have started their last year of high school on January 5, 2009. Without the funds to send them to another school, and without the facilities to educate them sufficiently at the modest (to be polite) school that is Sud, we have had to tell them “Sorry, you can’t continue and complete your high school education unless you find the funding yourself”. Confusion, disappointment and eventually persistent reapplications for sympathy and funding have been the result. I personally do not have the money to send them. I have promised them I would try to find other sources, and so here is my plea. It costs between $300 and $500 to send one student to a boarding school for an entire year. There are 5 Senior students that are eligible to continue this year. That is between $1,500 and $2,500. Providing food, shelter and education to 5 bright and promising students, this figure doesn’t seem impossible. I can attest to the dedication and interest, and also the desperation of these 5 students. Even though they have no textbooks, no teachers and even no classroom at Sud, they have shown up every day at school since January 5, hoping that I will bring good news with me each morning. When I tell them, “No, sorry- still nothing” they nod and smile politely and ask me to please try again.

If anyone is interested in sponsoring a student, or part of a student’s education at a respectable boarding school in Kenya, please contact me. It is not in my nature to ask people for money- I generally think it’s tacky and lewd. But inquiring minds in Africa deserve the same chance that Canadians receive, and I don’t think that because of the region of birth, the unfortunate result of poor governance or the cruel realities of war, a student should be denied access to the power of learning. For that reason, I hope we can manage to scrounge together and send these boys to school. It’s truly our responsibility as citizens of the world.

Thanks for taking the time to read- I hope I haven’t sounded like I’m begging! How distasteful that would be... ;)

Brief Announcement

Hello you. I am sick FYI. Could be the tap water, or the shady restaurants I ate at last week in the slums, or the yummy Indian food I ate last night. Or maybe it's my emotional stress realizing itself physically. Not sure, but alas, I am sick! I was planning on posting a message on Friday about the crazy and busy week that the first week of school turned out to be. There were many meetings, some productive, some heated, and some outside school that were very interesting. Also there are some school issues and funding problems I'd like to share. All in due time- when my sweats and nausea stop, I'll write the post. Please check back in a few days...

Monkeys in the park...

More intriguing trees!

Intriguing trees...

Nairobi Christmas

My friend Theresa belongs to an Evangelical religious "movement", not a church, as she says, here in Nairobi. Some of her friends from the States are also here with their churches and decided to host a Nairobi style Christmas- it was really nice to have some North American home cooked food! It's been a month, and it was super delish. We did a gift exchange game called Thieves Christmas, where you essentially can steal people's presents- it's complicated, but I ended up with a thermos for my coffee! I told them the students at Sud Academy will thank them...as long as I have my morning coffee... I'm golden. Twayla, our hostess, even made little place cards with everyone's names- she is super cute. They were very welcoming and I am grateful to them for inviting me to such a lovely Christmas day- otherwise I would have spent it like any normal day, by myself. And that would be NO fun. Sorry about the formatting here folks. No idea how to space it correctly.

Swim time

yeeeeeeeee... this water is freezing! I'm getting out ASAP.

Swimming after turkey lunch, before turkey dinner- first time for everything!

It's a wonder I didn't sink to the bottom...

Christmas poolside

I've been hearing that the weather in Canada is akin to a true Winter Wonderland, it's hard for me to imagine it since I am here in sunny Nairobi, lounging by the pool waiting for my pending turkey dinner.... yum. Bikinis and stuffing- who'd have thunk it?

I am my teacher-mother's daughter...

Well hello friends!

So much has happened since I last wrote… I know it has been a super long time, but I have been a busy little Canadian beaver here in Nairobi.

First order of business is Sud Academy, my purpose for the next few months (and beyond!). I have started a Christmas-break mini school consisting of secondary students from Sud. There are varying numbers as some come and go, but I have met about 40 students during these sessions and teach about 30 a day. They are all boys, and all super eager to learn about grammar and computers. Many had never even turned one on until last week, so we are talking pretty basic training here folks. I feel like it is 5 years ago and I’m teaching my mom! Ha, just kidding Q. Anyways, the computer classes are going very well. We learned how to turn them on, open up MS-Word, how to enter and remove text, how to use (a fidgety) mouse, change text size and colour, and “cut, copy, paste”. Good start for only 2 classes! They love it and I nearly have to boot them out at the end of the day so I can get back home while it’s still light outside. The English classes are also productive. We did some heavy comprehension stuff yesterday that was difficult but useful. Students also wrote papers to me about their life story, mostly containing info about their journey from Sudan to Kenya and Sud Academy. Some were happy, most were sad- all very interesting and inspiring. Their unwavering and demanding desire to learn could teach us in the West a lot about opportunity, determination and appreciation of that which we have.

Many express hopes of going to Canada, the US or UK for university. Some would rather stay in Africa. What they all have in common is their adamant commitment to and concern for their homeland, Sudan. Coming to Sud Academy to receive an education has been a wonderful opportunity that most children born in Sudan will never be lucky enough to have. While rustic by Western standards and far from perfect, Sud Academy is giving the students hope for their future- hope that they will be the generation to transform their torn and bleeding country into one that harbours peace instead of terror, and breeds love instead of hate. This is the kind of sentiment they indicated, not something I am sensationalizing for effect. Many have left family behind in hopes to return with the means to support them. Some have lost all family members in the tragic civil and government-led war that has been stealing Sudanese lives for 21 long and shameful years. I have enjoyed very much talking to the students about the politics and the situation in their country. Those who know me know I get very “excited” (not the smiling kind, but the red-faced kind) when talking about international conflicts and infractions on human rights, so the firsthand accounts of how things are really happening are immeasurable, and certainly not found in your morning newspaper. It is clear that the students and I will find my time here with them mutually rewarding.

On other notes from about town, Nairobi still exists in my mind only in a limited sense. I have ventured downtown, downtown only 1 time with my new friend Aulgah. It was a lengthy process, as traffic jams here are worse than Torontonian’s and GTA commuters could ever imagine. A “jam” as Nairobi-ites call it can clog a 1 or 2 km stretch for HOURS. Think hot, crowded, noisy, polluted and bouncy bus- not my idea of a good time, so I stick to my few km radius. Everything I need is here, and I am even hooked up to the web 24/7 via a little wireless modem that attaches to my computer. I wish we had this in Canada, it’s really convenient. I did go out of the city last weekend to visit the Animal Orphanage at the National Park, and then to the Giraffe Centre down the road. I got to hold baby cheetahs, and then play in the pen with their mothers.. and I fell in love with the sloppy faced and bug eyed giraffes. They were so friendly and peaceful, it’s hard to believe they are that looming!

Monday is my favourite day, when I meet my friend Theresa for dinner and a movie- Mamma Mia last week, Eagle Eye yesterday. It’s a super good deal, and for a while, I feel like I am back home with Scotty at the Queensway- except no Yogen Fruz or Tim Horton’s chili… microwaved hot dog instead. It’s bliss J. I have also visited a couple Kenyan homes, where I am always doted on from the moment I arrive. They are really very welcoming and giving, even when they might not have much to give. Little children of the neighbourhood who don’t often see white people run around me, staring, whispering or sometimes screeching excitedly, “Muzungu! Muzungu! Muzungu!” which means foreigner in Swahili. They are so super cute, I want to steal them and bring them home.

The place I am staying is closing for the holidays, so I am debating whether or not it’s worth it to stay in a hotel for a while in Nairobi, or if I should go on a trip to Mombasa with some other NGO workers. If I have to pay to stay somewhere in Nairobi, why not pay to stay on the beach front in Mombasa for the holidays! We shall see.

So in general, friends, Nairobi and the whole experience is going well. There are many daily challenges and frustrations that one faces here-from being asked for money, jobs, water, and food to rushing home in hopes of beating sundown, to people who say they will call me back and NEVER DO!, to missing my friends and family when I settle down for the night. But my sacrifice seems a pittance compared to some of the sacrifices people here make without a second thought. At the end of my time here, I will leave and return to a place of plenty, with love and security and the guarantee of a bright future. Some people- those for whom basic things like toilet paper, clean drinking water, soap and even food are a luxury- will not be so lucky.

Til’ next time folks, I hope you are all being good little citizens of your own world!