Praise be the Water Policy!

Abstract
Greetings, and thank you for logging on to check out my blog. So the trees have made the transition from romantic red, to shivering splinters. The UK has had the first snow of the season, temperatures as low as -2oC. The Coca Cola advert has been playing on TV, reminding us that the ‘Holidays are Coming, Always Coca Cola.’ This subtle advertising will not work on me… gosh, I am so thirsty!

Here in South Sudan temperatures have continued to rise, along with anticipation for the referendum. Buses loaded with people moving to the town centers send great dust clouds into the dry air. Through the dust we can hear the passengers singing songs of joy and independence. After 21 years of conflict between different tribes, resistance armies, liberation movements, governmental forces and international actors, the Southern aggressors are united under the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA). The past five years since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA, Jan. 05’) have the been the only peaceful years all generations can recall.

The arid wind brings the smell of independence, and with it extended peace, a chance for a new beginning and for the country to guide it’s own fate. The country still faces enormous birthing pains. Setting up a new currency, developing a constitution, establishing future visions, preparing Juba to become a capital city, preparing all sectors for mass urbanization and population increase, negotiating the joint Sudanese debt of $36.2 billion (Dec. 09’, most of which was accumulated by the North financing the war against the South). We hope that somewhere in Juba, or Khartoum, some high powered Sudanese officials are addressing these issues, although a mix of cynicism and realism warns us there are no such talks.

Month’s update
Here on the ground, work is more simple. The work initiated before my departure on the Melut water distribution system was well underway. Most of the pipework was complete and the two new water distribution kiosks were almost complete.

Medair signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Melut local authorities. The MoU identifies different responsibilities for the community (lead by the local authorities), and Medair.

Medair’s responsibilities are:
 Training of the water treatment plant operators, water technicians and water management committee
 Repair and improvement of the existing water distribution kiosks
 Construction of a new link pipe from the Melut County Authority Offices to Melut Hospital (to improve water pressure)
 Construction of two new kiosks in locations to be agreed

Melut County Authority Contributions are:
 Seek funding or a partner for the construction of the new water tower
 Mobilise the oil company to carry out recommended repairs to the water treatment plant
 Mobilise the community to participate in the water management committee
 Introduce a cost-sharing scheme for water

Following the CPA in 2005, the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) developed a Water Policy with the goal of supporting social development and economic growth by promoting equitable, efficient and sustainable development and use of water resources. I recently reviewed this document to present during the Melut water management committee training. Without realising it, I am doing exactly what my father is doing in Tanzania, Niger and Ethiopia! I can see the appeal of this work to him. With a clear understanding of this topic, the water management committee have such power to influence positive or negative development within an area. It is critical the water management committee understand this message and the goals they must address.

While traveling around the community, we noticed enormous trenches in the road. We questioned the volunteer community engineer about these. He told us they were private connections. The significance of having unregistered private connections in this community is that we have no information on the quantity of water they are taking. They might have enormous taps running all day, preventing any water from reaching the downstream community water distribution kiosks. Does this qualify as fair allocation of resources? Not at all!

Developing a solution for managing these private connections is one of the key objectives the water management committee will be addressing.

There are eight existing water distribution kiosks in Melut town. The water pressure at the end four kiosks has always been poor, but recently we noticed that no water was reaching these kiosks at all. The community engineer came with me to map the private connections, and on the way he pointed out 5 small ponds supporting a family of goats and ducks. I was unable to remember the last time it had rained, so it was clear they were from leaking pipes. Upon closer inspection, I noticed there was a small bridge spanning a ditch with about 1 foot of running water. I thought, ‘Is this a miraculous spring in Melut town!?!?’ No, it was all from this leak. Miraculously, a valve appeared approximately 100m upstream of the leak. The valve was closed and two days later the leaks dried up, and the ditch ran dry. If only leak detection was always this easy Halcrow! The increased water pressure at the remaining four kiosks was enough to attract queues of 50+ people.

After retrieving quotes for excavation of the five leaks, I was ready to start work. When I checked with my manager, he reminded me that this was not one of our responsibilities in the MoU. Work halted and once again I was stung with the principle of; Capacity building being more important then project completion.

Malesh (Arabic: Oh well…)


Emotional girly stuff
So my ticket home for Christmas is now booked, and I will begin my count down very soon. Emotionally I am feeling well. The team support here is brilliant; when someone is high they support those who are low. Every morning we commit the day to the Lord, sing some songs, and someone gives a short message. The messages can be challenging, or inspiring, but they always bring us closer together as a team.

Living, working and playing with the same people, we have to learn patience and forgiveness everyday. My role within the team has been established as the energetic guy, cracking lots of jokes, incredibly inappropriately sometimes. I think members of the team have begun to see me at my fragile at times also. A few nights ago I was exhausted after shifting tones and tones of cement. I went to my tent early to watch a movie. About 1 hour later, I was joined by a team member, and five minutes later another came. We ended up talking till about 11pm, it was brilliant! Maybe doctors have a nose for these things.

Joanne sounds well, and she seems to be making herself quite at home with my family in Goudhurst. It is comforting to know they are supporting one another.

I have begun wandering how I will react to being in the UK again. Some people returning home after a long period in the field have trouble re-integrating back to English culture. I think things will be fine. I am dreaming of family festivities, yoghurt, fires, and a few festive London day trips with Joanne. Good times ahead, seeing these things through fresh eyes certainly bring a renewed appreciation.

Keep safe, and have a wonderful Christmas!
Blessings,
Damon

End of my first rotation

Good afternoon, wonderful friends and family.

So, I am coming to the end of my first rotation in South Sudan! All field staff here in South Sudan are flown back to Nairobi every 6-10 weeks. The reason for this is to rest, catch up on sleep, clear your mind of work and to re-align yourself with God.

When I was first instructed of this procedure I thought to myself; 'Ace, mandatory holiday, I won't be tired.' WRONG! I am exhausted, and because you are working so hard with your back-to-back activity filled days, in temperatures greater then 40 degrees C, you do not even realise it. It makes me wonder, how unnoticed my stress and energy levels got in the UK without assessment. I agree with this Medair R&R policy. In this tense environment, a loose comment can make such a difference to base and personal security. The authorities we deal with on a daily basis, all have close ties with the military, who spend most of their time drunk, and scared of the future. Anticipating war, living in peace with very little to do, leaves your average adolescent soldier quite trigger happy.

Months Update

So in my last entry, I was in Wadakona, located on the border between North and South Sudan, in the Upper Nile State. I was testing concrete latrine slabs, and working on water treatment and distribution system designs for three towns to the South.

Three weeks ago, I relocated to our base in Melut to focus more of my time on starting up the Melut Water Distribution Project. As I said goodbye to my manager who was returning to the UK for a month, I felt the increase in purpose and responsibility. If this project was going to begin, it was down to me, the task was set...

JP (my manager) and I had largely agreed on the design, and a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed by the county Commissioner, so the first step was to order materials. The inefficiency previously experienced in the Aid sector, has rightfully forced NGO's to supply greater accountability to their Donors. One of the area's being monitored was procurement (the buying of materials). I had to find the best quote from at least three different suppliers. This was also the case when appointing a contractor. Materials were transported from Khartoum (Capital city, North Sudan) on huge trucks and were offloaded in our compound. Contractor interviews began soon after, and I tried my best to explain to them the works information.

We received four contractors who boasted years and years of experience. I took a translator with me, and drove them to the existing water distribution kiosks. The work would involve, excavation, minor block work, concreting, plastering and painting, fencing and pipework. The value of the work ahead would be approximately $75,000, including materials, labour and transport.

During this period, I have been taught the importance of clear understanding and patience, unfortunately I learnt the hard way. I thought all the contractors had a good understanding of the work, so we decided to invite the lowest bidding contractor back, to discuss the contract. I spent one hour explaining to him the details of the contract we would sign. "Do you understand?" I asked. He replied yes. "Do you have any questions?" I repeated. "No." he answered. 'Great!' I thought, but sure enough, the following morning he had arrived with a revised quote that had doubled.

In the end, we appointed two different contractors. One to manage the construction of two new kiosks and the rehabilitation of the existing eight, and one to manage the installation of 1300m of pipework. Contracts were developed and signed, and work began the next day. I breathed a sigh of relief...

The following day I woke with a smile on my face, excited to see work starting, and begin moving the materials from our compound to the work sites. At 10.30, I received a call from our pipework contractor... 'The SSRRC has halted our work. He wants to see you.' I jumped into the car with Isaac (our translator and a good engineer) and set off for town. The SSRRC is the South Sudanese Relief & Rehabilitation Council. They are the authority that manages all work relating to NGO's. They do not have much authority, but they have strong links with other authorities further up the chain, and make life very difficult. They have been known to have NGO vehicles taken due to insufficient visibility (flags, logos), they have removed NGO's from their bases, and prevented their return. In this case, the problem was that the pipework contractor, was managed by Kenyans - not Sudanese. I told him we would return later that day with a solution. When we returned, he brought us into his office and told us he was busy - '...come back on Monday at 9am, sharp.' That was that. It is a minor issue, but it is a shame the contractor was made to suffer - their enthusiasm to get the job done would be a real asset.

Kiosk work continues uninterrupted by the local contractor, and progress suggests the project deadline of December 20th 2010 is very possible.

Concrete latrine Slabs Testing

So I am still testing different latrine slab designs. Since arriving in Melut I have cast three more slabs.
1. Concrete slab reinforced with steel reinforcement
2. Unreinforced domed concrete slab
3. Mortar slab with three layers of 25mm chicken wire (12 gauge)

As you can see by the pictures, we had lots of fun testing them. The steel reinforced slab and mesh reinforced slab were tested with 400kg and did not fail. The unreinforced slab failed under 150kg. Rather it fails 1ft above the ground, then 2m above 1000 litres of rotting faeces. It is sad to say that the 400kg test weight was the total weight of 8 Sudanese men. Just imagine what the nutrition rate was like when they were children.

Girly emotional stuff

As I previously mentioned, I am feeling exhausted and am looking forward to spending time at the coast near Mombasa. I am especially looking forward to eating a variety of foods, yoghurt, muesli, cheese, chocolate. The diet is very similar day to day, all credit due to the cooks, who are able to make the most out of limited supplies.

Breakfast - Tea, bread and spreads (honey, home made peanut butter, sometimes Nuttela from Khartoum).

Lunch - Rice, beans and meat (still not sure what type of meat it is, they are definitely mammal bones that get lodged in your Trachea though)

Dinner - Rice, beans, meat, maybe greens (unknown what this is, maybe boiled grass), special treats include chips or ciabatti.

Lots of tea, so I have been surviving.

I have really been noticing how far I am from the family and Joanne. The occassional discussion via Skype is a real blessing, and I look forward to video calls when I am in an internet cafe on R&R. These facilities are available for the country HQ in Juba, but out here in Upper Nile state, we are limited to text conversations. Communication is so much more then words.

So I have typed far too much, but this will be my only entry for October. Keep well, and thanks for your prayers.

Blessings,
Damon

Building toilet slabs

GOOD MORNING, I hope you are well! In my last Blog I discussed the technical aspect of the job to date. I apologise that the title 'Sudanese Children are Deceptively Good at Football' was slightly misleading.

Sudanese Children are Deceptively Good at Football

To clarify this previous title; I have begun playing football with one of the countless teams. They meet Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays about 1 hour before sunset.

I am not sure if I will ever adapt to their style of football. They rarely pass, going on incredibly ambitious runs around the opposition, and when they do pass, they are usually short and misplaced. In their defence, the reason for this could be the uneven surface they play on. To their credit, they NEVER STOP RUNNING! These are the fittest footballers I have ever played with! To run their distances in this heat, they seem inhuman! I have had to substitute myself twice now, and switch with the goal keeper also (much to the amusement of the onlookers). I say they are deceptive because they are all 6ft+ tall pipe cleaners (SKINNY).

Football is THE BIG INTEREST here in Wadakona. Their football pitch spills onto the dusty road (which is barely distinguishable), and further down the road two other teams can be seen playing! They take it to the next level, some playing in bare feet, still sporting their favourite club shirts; Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona - and lots of 'Totti' shirts (AC Roma star player).

Weeks Re-cap

So the past few weeks has been very interesting, as the team travelled to a place called Ayeth to survey their existing water supply. We knew they were taking water from the Nile, but the distance they were travelling to collect it was humbling. During the wet season young boys travel 1.5km to collect water. In the dry season the collection point turns to mud, and they are forced to travel an additional 1.5km. Using GPS we were able to assess these distances, and develop a water distribution system strategy along with a treatment design.

The community was home to approximately 2,000 people, with an additional 6,000 nomads joining them in the dry season. This number expected to grow around the referendum as people return home to vote. We are hoping to have the system installed before we leave for Christmas.

Life continues in the compound, my Arabic slowly progressing (along with peoples frustration from repeating the same phrases). I wanted to put it to the test on the weekend, so attended the local church which is 100% classical Arabic. I did not understand anything! After talking with the Bishop afterwards he told me the message was about the rich man and Lazarus.

Seeing the church packed with about 500 people reminded me that this was probably what church used to be like in the UK. THE CENTRE OF THE COMMUNITY. A place to meet and chat with your pals.

I realised that I was not the only white person in the county (as I had originally thought). I met Sister Mary, an elderly Irish nun posted at the convent adjacent to the church. I hope to join her for tea at some point this week.

Building Toilet Slabs

So the main project for the past week has been the construction of trial latrine slabs. The significance of these slabs, are that they do not have any reinforcement. They designed as a dome with the knowledge that arches transfer the central load to the abutments. The concrete mix contains more aggregate and sand then usual concrete mixes making it very strong.

Sudanese children are deceptively good at football!

Good evening friends, family and folks!

I hope as you read this you are savouring the ebbing heat of the British summer. If you are unhappy saying goodbye to the heat, remember that Sudanese climate has begun it's turn around towards the summer. Temperatures are a moderate 24 deg.C at night, and in the afternoon 40 deg.C. Just a taste of things to come I understand!

So, the adventure has not disappointed. My manager (JP) is slowly easing me into various projects we are managing and implementing. My experience is working with an engineering consultant, and Medair operate in a very similar way. They conduct the needs/feasibility assessment, design a strategy, seek funding, prepare tender documents, appoint a contractor, and supervise the implementation and manage contracts.

The significant difference is that Medair is flexible to act as a contractor for their own projects to save costs. Doing this has drawbacks, such as the increase in Medair staff, and the additional associated implementation risks. I am involved in about five different projects in the Upper Nile State off South Sudan. The overview mandate is to provide access to improved drinking water to over 40,000 people before December 2011. This pivots largely on the outcome of the election in early January (this is a huge topic, I will talk about another time).

So Medair have decided to implement three of the projects themselves, bringing on casual labour from the community, sourcing and purchasing all materials. While this is an exciting variation to my usual work, I am sure it will bring enormous HR problems. Before employing local labour for jobs like trenching, excavation, concrete work and simple building we will request the community authority pledge labour support for free - after all, it is for their benefit.

Following construction, we formally hand over the infrastructure to the water committee (facilitated and supported by Medair). The Kiosk staff then charge customers a small amount for clean water, supplying more then enough revenue for maintenance and staff payment. Finally turning the water supply into a self-funding system, without bankrupting the local population.

So, I am sorry if this entry was a bit boring and technical for you, next time I will supply some classic Damon cheesiness about feelings and hearty things.

Keep well, Damon

APOLOGIES ALL.

After talking to my perceptive girlfriend Joanne - she tells me the post is 'Too Cold'... So, here is some soppyness.

The scale of the task is starting to be revealed to me. I am transerred fortnightly between Melut and Wadakona to supervise construction activities. During my last transfer I met a gentleman named Samuel. He was fortunate to have been driven about 6 hours to Melut, where he was diagnosed (at a Medair Public Health Unit) with an excruciatingly painful Cyst. From Melut he joined us on our four and a half hour boat journey North to Wadakona. During this time he was incapacitated, barely able to move, having to be lifted in and out of the boat, each time enduring unfathomable pain. Upon arrival, we unloaded the boat and he continued North for another four hours to the Medair Public Health Care Centre in the larger town of Renk where I understand he was operated on upon immediately!

Three days on we look back at his ordeal, and about seven of us are going to Renk (on the weekend) to wish him speedy recovery. As I look at his journey I remember something else odd that day. A random lady was also on the boat and never left his side. When I asked Stephan, our driver, he told me she was his mother.

Samuel travelled almost the distance of England, via land and river to receive treatment from one of 200 registered doctors in the country. Humbling statistics. But he survived, and is testimony to the value of life. Live it!

One week in

Ten days ago, I was at Gatwick, eagerly awaiting my flight to transport me to my home for the next 18 months. Now I sit in a make shift field office looking out over nothing but green planes.

I spent two nights in Nairobi, followed by seven nights in Juba (the capital of Southern Sudan, and now I am in the Upper Nile State, in a town called Melut. The past ten days has been a very gradual cultural integration, allowing me loads of home comforts and social niceties.

I participated in three intense Ultimate Frisbee matches, a lovely jog around the enormous UN compound in Juba, a brilliant afternoon and evening playing volleyball at the Red Cross HQ followed by a BBQ, and several squash matches in an old forgotten court previously erected as part of the Grand British Hotel Juba - now semi-demolished and overgrown, showing few signs of its previous grandure. My point is that the culture shock has been very gradual... Until now

There is no mistaking that I am now 'off the beaten track'. After a four and a half hour flight on a six seater MAF plane (Mission Aviation Fellowship NGO), and a 45 minute 4wd trek across unrecognisable roads, I am now at the Medair Melut base. Located right on the River Nile, the compound is surrounded by a 1.5m fence, with guards at all entrances and cats wondering around looking for scraps of food. The compound is littered with accommodation and office blocks, along with separate bucket shower facilities and standalone latrines. Apparently they are great for people who are good at squatting - I will find out tonight.

I have been given the impression from my conversations in Juba, that you have to be willing to entertain yourself in the evenings, as most people hibernate to their bed and mosquito nets before 8.30. Maybe now it the time to give reading another try?

Most of the staff I have met here in Melut are British, with other away on R&R or on various Medair projects located further up the river. There are other Kenyan and Sudanese staff who have an amazing skill of talking their way into anything! I am thinking specifically of the security checks we had to go through before boarding the MAF flight:
1. Load all luggage onto the MAF truck to be loaded
2. Pass all hand luggage through X-Ray machine
3. Walk through the metal detector - although we all set it off, and this did not seem to cause any problems! I had steel toe caps, metal belt buckle, phone and run bag, I was ushered through quickly and into the departures lounge (which was more similar to a British lounge then a departures gate, with sofas and big comfy chairs.

The Kenyan staff seemed to breeze past the army gate in the enormous Medair Hilux, on to the runway, skipped past a big 120 seater UN flight taxiing to the runway and finally up to the MAF plane, where we helped loading. Very different to the UK!

Anyway, spirits are good. I am missing the family lots, but I continue to feel little convictions that this is where I am supposed to be at this time.

The Wait is Over!

I am writing this entry, sat in the waiting area of Gate 51 of Gatwick North Terminal. The possibility of me sitting here waiting to be ushered on to the plane seemed unfathomable eight months ago. This entry will describe the preparations I have been making, and the prospects ahead, but first I just wanted to say that all the preparation in the World could not have prepared me for the sadness I feel saying goodbye to my friends and family. I also feel pride in being given the opportunity to join our brothers and sisters in Southern Sudan and get to know them.

Preparation – I have never been so unproductive, while having so little to do! Procrastination has been my middle name over the past month. It took me two weeks to book my yellow fever vaccination and almost a month to rendezvous with my best pal!

Generally, visas and vaccinations take the longest to arrange. The Hepatitis A&B jabs require three doses, the third being 28 days after the first. Regarding the visas, South Sudan has a relatively relaxed border policy, and travel permits can be acquired quickly. All of the vaccines are administered as dormant strains. As a result symptoms are rare; however, yellow fever is administered as a live virus, and leaves you with a fever, headache and aches all over. It has been almost a week since I received the jab, and my brain still feels like it is doing back flips in my skull!

Packing was the fun part. I packed and re-packed enough times to warrant re-washing of my clothes. The items taking up most of the room were surprisingly books and gadgets. This changed after I was advised at the HQ briefing (Switz) to bring homely comforts over work items. Good advice! Out with the text book, in with my new 192 DVD case!

So my luggage weighed in at 31.5kg, which was 1.5kg more then I was allowed – fortunately for me, the check in officer was kind and labelled it 29.9kg. My final words are regarding the in-flight movies:

Good movies = No sleep = Jet lag = Hungry stomach = Headache

First of Many

Dear readers,

I would like to welcome you to my Blog that will record and explain the pending adventures of Southern Sudan, and later on the entire continent of Africa.

A brief explanation

Upon graduating from Disaster Managment (BEng) in 2008 with a 2;1, I applied for countless aid worker positions, spanning the globe with no success. With limited international development experience, it seemed I would never be qualified to work in developing countries. On August the 10th 2008, my dream of working abroad was given direction as I began my employement with a reknowned international engineering consultancy named Halcrow Group Ltd.

Two years flew by as I was thrown into challenging civil engineering projects, and working alongside talented engineers blessing me with enormous encouragement. Following the recession, work was scarce and the company was forced to make redundancies. I began looking into international aid work again, hearing back immediately from a few applications one of which was Medair (http://www.medair.org/).

Medair is a Christian Non-government Organisation that provides emergency relief and rehabilitation impartially to the Worlds most vulnerable. They work in Somalia, Afghanistan, Haiti, North & South Sudan, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, DRC and Madagascar. To increase their effectiveness and marketability, they have focused their efforts into three main areas of expertise: Health Services, Water and Sanitation and Shelter and Infrastructure.

After a thorough application process I was invited to attend their mandatory training course. During this week, I was blessed with incredible encouragement and hunger to start working in this field. Country programmes were described, and I knew that this was where I wanted to work.

Two weeks later I am saying goodbye to my brilliant co-workers here in London, packing my guitar and dismantling my bed in Wimbledon, and ordering my ticket to Switzerland for my Medair briefing.

Blog Purpose

I hope to use this Blog to record and detail some of the more interesting stories during my adventures, so if you think you would be interested in hearing them, here is the place to get it!

To My Brilliant Colleagues at Halcrow

It has been an honour working with you and learning from your mistakes (Just joking).

I wish you all the best in the future!