Paul and Rebecca Mosley in Ethiopia: October 2023 Rep Gathering in Juba

Our final evening of Rep gathering

Once a year, we look forward to gathering in person with all the MCC Representatives (Country Directors) from our region of East Africa and Sahel. Prior to COVID, we took turns visiting one another’s countries. In the past two years, people have been so drained by work and change that our Area Directors hosted us at a nice resort on the Kenyan coast, to give everyone a break as we held business meetings.

This year, we returned to our normal pattern and our meeting point was no tourist destination: we gathered in Juba, South Sudan. At the moment, it is one of the most challenging places in our region to live and work, though Tchad may be even harder. Perhaps it was good for us to get some perspective on the difficulties of living in Ethiopia. At least we have decent schools for kids and a more pleasant climate!

Wawa and daughter

We have always brought our kids with us to these regional meetings. Unfortunately, this year David’s school shifted the dates of their October break and David had school with mid-term exams during the whole week of the meetings. So, we had to leave him behind, staying at home together with Bereket. We called him a few times a day, just to make sure things were under control, but the two teenagers did well.

Meanwhile, Paul and I were astonished by the mental and emotional lightness of traveling as a couple without kids, and only two carry-on bags. It has been probably 10 years since we went away alone for more than a night. Since we live at the hub of the continent’s best airline, it was also super easy for us to take the direct flight to Juba.

Traveling light

It was really great to see our colleagues again, many of whom we have known for many years. Anne Marie and Scott have been colleagues since 2014 when they took over as Reps for Rwanda/Burundi. Then they followed us east, currently as Reps for Kenya/Tanzania. We met the families of Fred and Betty (Kenyan, serving in Uganda) and Amos (Ugandan, serving in South Sudan) back in 2018 when the Tanzania program hosted regional meetings. Winifred and Samuel have been serving in Tchad for the past two years. We also had a new colleague, an interim Representative for Burkina Faso, Cyprien, who comes from DR Congo originally. The regional Admin Assistant Kelly helped with a lot of logistics. Our Area Directors Wawa and Kristen were there with their four kids, who joined with Amos’ two kids to make a great kids’ team. We were sad that David was missing out on the solidarity. But several other families also decided to leave their kids behind – somehow, South Sudan is not the kind of place you bring your children to lightly.

From Left: Kelly, Cyprien, Kristen, Betty, King (partner staff)
Rebecca, Scott, Amos, Semei (SS staff), Fr. James (Partner staff), Winifred, Paul, Wawa,
Alexa kneeling (SS staff), Fred, Samuel, Mama Gladys (partner staff) and Anne Marie

Kristen and some project participants at WEP

On our first morning, we visited the South Sudan MCC office and met all the staff members. They rent office space from the South Sudan Council of Churches, one of their longest-term partners. The head of the SSCC, Father James, gave us a picture of the many, many challenges facing the country and the ways that religious leaders are trying to help. One astonishing and chilling fact stuck with me: police are given guns for law enforcement and then are paid the equivalent of $3-6 a month—on some months. Yes, you read that right. It’s not hard to imagine what might happen when you give a guy a gun and then underpay him. Another crazy fact – only 7% of the population has access to electricity. Basically, it’s just people who live in Juba, where there is a generator that produces power for the city. There is only one tarmac road in decent repair, heading to Uganda. There are no functional tarmac roads going to any other neighboring countries. Most of South Sudan is inaccessible by vehicle, and the remaining poor roads are guarded by various militias that demand bribes or they will just have you killed before the next checkpoint. The recent outbreak of war in Sudan has sent thousands of people fleeing back into South Sudan, making the humanitarian crisis there even worse. The government is having trouble moving forward on the provisions of the peace accord and people in Juba are very tense, fearing a return to ethnic violence.

Gloria

One major struggle is the huge number of orphans and vulnerable children who do not have any resources to get an education. The SSCC provides bursaries for a select number of children who would have no other way to study. We got to hear a very moving testimony from a young woman named Gloria, whose life completely changed when she was able to return to high school and then university. She now works for a mental health hotline run by SSCC.

The situation on the ground is very difficult. But we were fortunate enough to be staying in a very nice hotel – one of those reviewed by the UN security team and deemed to be secure enough, both for meetings and for staying overnight. Paul and I really enjoyed making use of the nice gym each morning. We had one chance to walk next door and use the pool.

Mama Mary, a WEP participant

Otherwise, most of our time was spent in meetings with our colleagues. We had time to share updates from our contexts. We discussed a wide variety of issues relevant to our common work with MCC. We had time for biblical reflection and prayer. Being an MCC Rep, with most of us sharing our positions with our spouse, is a very unique kind of mission/development assignment and it's always refreshing to talk with other people who really understand the dynamics we are dealing with.

We enjoyed sharing part of the week with our International Program Director Rebecca, as well as Joyfrida from the security team and Melody, a peace coordinator. Paul and I actually hired Melody for a position in Burundi a long time ago and were delighted to spend a little time with her, now that she has come back to work with MCC.

During the week, we visited another development project, the Women’s Empowerment Program. At one point, this program served refugee women from South Sudan who were living in camps in Uganda, teaching them tailoring skills and giving them biblical and mindset training to help them have hope for their future. When refugees began to return to South Sudan in 2007, the Ugandan Program director got funding to follow them back to Juba.

The WEP sewing classroom

Now they have places for about 30 women to receive intensive training over 9 months, and then some support to start their own businesses, including a sewing machine for each graduate. We heard about the program, went to visit a shop run by a group of graduates working together, and then returned for some testimonies and a final time to dance and celebrate together.

Amos and his amazing staff team also put together several interesting tourist outings for us. One evening we had a nice dinner at a restaurant right on the Nile. The first thing we all saw, gleaming white in the dark, was a half-submerged river steamer. Apparently, it had been there for many years, getting stuck at a time when the Nile was a no-man’s land and anyone on the river would get shot at. It was no one’s top priority to get that boat free and so there it sits to this day.

Paul and the stuck steamer

Another day we were able to cruise on the Nile ourselves. It was lovely and adventurous to be out on the river and enjoy the fresh air – which feels so much more incredibly fresh compared to Addis. Well, that’s what you get with few cars and virtually no electricity! We even had snacks on board the boat as we chatted. And then as they turned the boat around, it began to rain. The staff shoo-ed us all down below as darkness fell and the rain became a torrent. It turned out to be a bit of a crazy adventure! We were glad the boat was equipped with a flood light and a guy keeping an eagle eye out in front of the boat.

Our Nile River cruise

On our final evening, we got special permission to enter the protected Mausoleum of John Garang, the Father of the Nation, who never got to see the day of actual independence. He died under suspicious circumstances returning from Uganda in a helicopter, a month before independence was declared. It is a quiet and somber memorial, and yet a beautiful place to visit in the sunset, with a curious pair of ostriches lurking around.

Melody, Mosleys and ostrich
at the mausoleum

All the rest of our colleagues are staying in South Sudan for the rest of the week, visiting camps and humanitarian distributions in remote areas, taking UN flights to get there, and sleeping in retrofitted containers. The adventure sounds fascinating, and we will miss the time to continue bonding with our fellow reps -- but David was waiting for us back at home and tomorrow morning, we are off for some RRL -- required renewal leave. More on that next time.

Bonus update: many of you know we were helping to raise funds for our housekeeper Yeshi to do the finishing work on her condominium so she can rent it out. Many thanks to all who contributed. Last Monday, we drove out to the condo to take a look and make estimates on the costs of the needed finishing work -- doors, windows, plaster, plumbing. Here are some photos to get an idea of how much needs to be done.