Heartwarming Holiday Gifts

Yesterday, on so called "Black Friday," stores across the country were clogged with desperate shoppers. Why waste time and money buying candles, candy, and plastic trinkets made in China? There is a more rewarding gift for colleagues and friends - the gift of PEACE THROUGH EDUCATION.

Small donations to the Girls Rising scholarship campaign are easily turned into holiday gifts through Global Giving. Make the donations through http://www.globalgiving.com/projects/girlsrising/ and have personalized holiday cards sent to your recipients via email or snail mail. You can also choose to print out the pretty cards yourself.

Sound like a good holiday shopping alternative? It gets even better. Donations as gifts are tax-deductible! Those candies and plastic trinkets are not. And if you do this before 11:59 pm on Tuesday, Dec 1st, Global Giving will match your donation 50%.

We wish you a wonderful and meaningful holiday this year!
-Anita, Atem, Colin, Diane, Rachel & Robert

P.S. Could you help spread the word? Feel free to share this message with your friends on Facebook!

100 Reasons to be Thankful

ABIONG
ACHOL
AGNES
AGNES
AGNES
ANGELINA
ANGELINA
ANGELINA
ANGELINA
ANGELINA
BETTY
BETTY
BETTY
BETTY
BETTY
BETTY
BETTY
CICILIA
EDINA
ESTHER
EVELINA
FLAVIA
FLORENCE
FLORENCE
GRACE
GRACE
GRACE
GRACE
GRACE
HARRIET
HELLEN
JACKLINE
JEDIYA
JEMIMA
JOICE
JOICE
JOICE
JOICE
JOICE
JOY
JOY
JULIA
KANI
KEJIA
KHARMELA
LEYA
LILIAS
LOICE
LONA
LUCIA
MAILA
MARIAM
MARY
MARY
MARY
MARY
MARY
MARY
MEDIAN
MEDINA
MONICA
NEEMA
NEEMA
NUNAS
NYABONL
NYANWIIR
PASQUINA
PATIENCE
PATIENCE
RAHAMA
REBECCA
REKELA
ROSE
ROSE
ROSE
ROSE
ROSE
SARAH
SARAH
SARAH
SARAH
SEBILA
SUSAN
SUSAN
SUSAN
SUSAN
SUSAN
SUSAN
SUSAN
TALA
TERESA
TEREZA
TIKO
VERONICA
VERONICA
VERONICA
VERONICA
VICTORIA
VIVIAN
ZEINABU

*All NESEI-sponsored high school girls. Only first names provided to protect identity.

Please help us send 200 Sudanese girls to high school in 2010. The school term starts in February, so we must meet the $50,000 campaign goal soon! To have your tax-deductible gift matched 50%, simply donate through this page: http://www.globalgiving.com/projects/girlsrising/

Help Achol Get to Law School

(Achol pictured with her classmates. She is the 2nd girl from the left.)

Achol is getting a quality high school education because of the generosity of American friends. Your contributions to the NESEI Girls Rising Campaign are directly responsible for keeping Achol and 99 other girls in school. And when they graduate, your support will ensure these young women have scholarships to attend college and achieve their career goals.

Right now, you have the opportunity to leverage your investment in Achol's education. From now until December 1st, gifts to our Girls Rising Campaign are being matched up to 50% by our fundraising partner - Global Giving.

It's easy! Donate online at:

www.globalgiving.com/projects/girlsrising/

Thank you, again, for helping make dreams come true.

P.S. Our 2010 goal is to double the number of sponsored girls. Please help us raise $50,000 to provide scholarships to Achol and 199 other girls next year.

A Lawyers Hall of Fame?

There is a "Lawyer's Hall of Fame." Names appearing include Clarence Darrow, F. Lee Bailey, and Abraham Lincoln. Famous lawyers recognized on our television screens have been Perry Mason, Matlock, and pop culture favorite, Ally McBeal. I have not been able to locate a list of famous Sudanese lawyers. Yet. However, if I were looking into a crystal ball to predict the future, I think the name of one bright woman will be listed. Achol Deng.

Achol freely expresses her opinion. (Many teenage girls share that same trait.) She does not hesitate to question the status quo. She definitely embodies leadership. It doesn't hurt that she stands well over six feet tall and naturally commands attention upon entering a room. My colleague, Diane, and I have said numerous times in the past, "she would make a good lawyer."

While traveling in Warrap state to see Jimmy Makuach's home area, deep in the heart of cattle country, we stopped in the office of a local village authority. Here they are called "payam administrators." He recognized me. He reminded me that he was the father of a NESEI student. As I looked closely, I could see the resemblance of his daughter, Achol. What a pleasant surprise!

Of course, we talked about Achol, her performance at school and family matters. I asked him, "What is the biggest change you have seen in your daughter since she becamse a NESEI student?" He said, "She talks like you." Translated, that means her English has improved. Actually, she didn't even speak a word of English until beoming a NESEI student. She grew up speaking Arabic and has gained a strong control of the English language. (And if I have influenced her use of the words, "yee haw," "darlin'," or "y'all" then so be it.) But he sees the English language as her currency for success in the future.

When I asked him what he hopes his daughter chooses to become in the future, he replied, "I hope she becomes a famous lawyer." No surprise there.

I think she can do it. And I believe she will do it. She's closer now than ever before. In lieu of writing a love note to all the donors who help make it possible for Achol to stay in school, please accept this sincere, "thank you." On behalf of Achol's dad, Achol, and NESEI, we thank you for helping make dreams come true. I rest my case.

From Yei,
Anita

Pic above: Anita with Achol's dad
Pic below: Achol

Sister Gracy

She runs a dispensary and teaching hospital. She teaches English classes. She has been caring for babies in South Sudan for 20 years. She is firm, yet gentle. She easily laughs, yet becomes teary when describing some of the traumas she witnessed during war-time in Sudan. She is a Catholic nun originally from India. She refuses to stay in expensive hotels when invited to lecture at special events. She carries a little purple purse.

“She” is Sister Gracy. She embodies the spirit of compassion. She is a mentor for many young women, and for men too. And she is a founder of the only fully registered nursing school in South Sudan called “Mary Help Training Center.”

Sister Gracy is the kind of person who makes me want to be a better person. Without propagation, she’s even the type of woman who could inspire me to want to attend mass at the nearest cathedral if it might help me live more like her.

In a short amount of time, I have developed a great deal of respect for this woman. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs or unbelief, Sister Gracy represents a vision for a brighter Sudan. If I could cast a vote for an annual peace prize recipient, she would be a strong candidate.

In 2010, we will be encouraging some of our NESEI students to volunteer at her community health center. I feel confident that the experience and knowledge they will gain from being under her tutelage will have a ripple effect. Just imagine how many people in South Sudan will be indirectly impacted by her wisdom and perseverance. Certainly it will be one more way for NESEI students to “build peace through education.”

Vote Wisely

Pic above: students at Liberty FM in Yei for one of our debate sessions- topic was tribalism causes more damage than development in African countries.
Pic below: Colin with students from Nile HS who participate in our radio debate program.

Today I attended a drama presentation performed by local youth in the region. In fact, multiple dramas have been presented in the last two days as a part of the 2009 "Drama Festival" in Yei. I felt like a proud stage mom watching our NESEI-sponsored students show their thespian talents.

The theme of the drama festival was "Let Us Build a Democratic Nation through Peaceful Elections." With national elections coming up in Sudan, the topic was quite timely.

In the play I watched, student actors educated the audience about the importance of being involved in civil society. Instructions about voting were given. The importance of obtaining a national identity card was stressed. Educating yourself about the candidates and their qualifications was demonstrated. Influence of the media, bribery, and election violence instigated by police brutality were also acted out. Advice was given: "Vote wisely. This is your chance to select the right leader."

A mock election, with a big ballot box and and ink for thumbprints, was staged. Student actors portrayed all members of society lining up to vote. There were women and men, young and old, veterans, villagers, crippled people, expectant mothers, and all tribes represented. On this stage of theatrics, even a drunkard showed up at the ballot box to cast his vote. He offered a bit of comic relief for the playhouse.

Following the mock election, the votes were counted openly and a winner was announced. The "new President" gave an acceptance speech. In another comedic gesture, his first cabinet appointment was given to the losing candidate - "the Minister of Crime and Punishment."

As a part of the President's inauguration, a prayer was given by a female priest. In his inaugural speech, the President placed his hand on a Bible and said, "I want to execute my duties without fear in service to my people."

I am no Roger Ebert, but I give this show an enthusiastic ink-stained thumbs up! Hats off to the creative young people for taking the lead role in educating a new generation of voters in an emerging civil society. I can hardly wait for the results.

What We Think About

Pic above: Anita, Diane & Jimmy visit Wau.
Pic below: Anita makes friends on a road stop by sharing fresh muffins.

Generally, in the Fall of the year (as defined by changing seasons in the heartland of America), it is common for me to be thinking about "football time in Tennessee," upcoming holiday preparations, and questioning if any of the seasonal activities require me to dust off my stovetop or wipe away cobwebs from inside my oven in order to cook something. Colin says he usually thinks about the Yankees.

There is no typical "work day" for NESEI in Sudan. Our office is mobile. Essentially, wherever we are at any given moment is the location of the office. We are always thinking about our students, their retention in school, and their futures. Here is a bullet list of things that Colin, Diane and I have contemplated, analyzed, strategized or talked about in recent days. It does not reflect my traditional thought pattern for this time of the year. (Which is fine with me. No turkey basting is required for this list.)

Scholarships for more girls
Clean water and sanitation on campus and in the homes of the students
Student housing
Electrical power and generators
Food for the students & faculty
School supplies - paper, pencils, "slashers" (a type of sickle for cutting grass), etc.
The 2010 school calendar and NESEI work plan
Launching more GEM Clubs in other schools (Girls Education Movement programs)
Communication - phones, internet, hand-delivery of documents
Transport and fuel
Medical care for the students
NGO partnerships - strengthening the ones we have and developing new ones for greater impact
Local, regional, and national safety and security
Topics for the student radio debate program
Cows and dowries
Budgets for everything
In-country fundraising, as well as US fundraising
Expanding our NESEI programs in new schools and new states
Scheduling nap-time

For the NESEI Sudan team, these thoughts constitute our own Apollo mission to the moon. These thoughts drive us. They keep us up at night. They motivate us to live intentionally and with passion.

7 Days in the Life of NESEI

Pic Above: Jimmy & the NESEI Team with the Governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal.
Pic Below: Colin fixing the Hilux on Yei - Juba Road.

Random Fun Facts

1 visit to a primary school built by a former NBA player
1 meal shared with a Prince
2 meetings with state governors
2 hours spent trying to download photos to accompany this blog - only to read "attachment failed"
2 monkey sightings on the road
5 modes of transportation - footing, boda boda, land cruisers, 7 ton lorry, and planes
5 hours in the car between Juba and Yei composing this list and singing show tunes & tv show jingles ("Here's the story....of a lovely lady....")
6 secondary school visits in two states
7 tents for accommodations
12 gazillion herds of cows & bulls
15 NGO partner visits
18 government meetings
20 VIP sightings - (Ventilated Improved Pit-latrines)
168 cups of coffee consumed
300 cows and 30 bulls offered as a marriage proposal