I’ve been back from Nuba a couple weeks now. I went right back to work and am just getting caught up and wanted to share a few photos.
The day I arrived in Juba, S Sudan, I visited the wholesale pharmacy where our next big “double shipment” is was being organized to ship, I hope, next week.
Soon after arriving in Nuba I visited an area where several hundred families had just arrived in a loosely organized refugee camp. They were still awaiting even a tarp for shelter and some food relief. The host community is unbelievably generous supporting families coming from Arib areas that Nuba have been at war with for decades. As the civil war rages on in the North of Sudan, Nuba is the safest place. The woman in these photos cooking the paper thin bread from sorghum flour walked for days with her 5 children after her husband was killed when their village was attacked by the government army. The first camp she settled in was bombed and so she continued further into Nuba until she reached this area. Even though she and her family had but the clothes they were wearing, no shelter yet and little food, through a translator she told me she was so happy and relaxed to have arrived safely to this camp.
Dr Tom and Nasima adopted an infant last year. Vincent Moses Catena had his first birthday and was just starting to walk while I was there.
The nutrition ward had 20 – 30 malnourished children that were getting great care and should all do well after a 1-2 week stay for high calorie formulas followed by Plumpy Nut.
I visited the warehouse in Nuba where the medicines are being stored in dry clean conditions and were well organized and accounted for. However, the Secretary of Health has new leadership and was behind in distributing our previous shipment. With extra support from Sudan Relief Fund and other International NGO’s working in the area, we’re back on track to get everything distributed to over 200 clinics and 4 small “hospitals” before rainy season makes the roads more difficult in July.
The challenges can feel overwhelming at times, but with your help 100’s of thousands of otherwise forgotten people will receive lifesaving medical supplies.
Thank you so much,
pj
