Although I’ve worked in South Sudan (and in neighboring Sudan) for several years, the Yei area and the work of World Renew in this county were new to me when I arrived on August 12. I had flown from my home in the UK and met Ken Little from the World Renew Canada office at Cairo Airport. We then flew together to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

I had flown from my home in the UK and met Ken Little from the World Renew Canada office at Cairo Airport. We then flew together to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Arriving in Juba is always challenging because of immigration obligations and the scramble for bags and documents before emerging into the hot, crowded arrival area. We left early the following morning by car from Juba to Yei. The road between the two towns has deteriorated so much that the 160km journey (roughly 100 miles) takes five hours. The rough road is a zigzag of huge holes with long sections of groaning, pulverizing bumps. Cars don’t last long in this country.

The city of Juba is located on the Nile River, about 500 feet above sea level. Driving to Yei is a gentle climb to about 1,700 feet. Those extra feet of elevation make a world of difference: Yei is cool in the evening, gets much more rain than Juba, and is blessed with productive agricultural conditions.

Yei is a wonderful part of God’s creation, a temperate and more fertile area in a land affected by desertification, climatic  extremes, and low food production. Arriving here was a pleasure and two months on, I can still say that the joy has not worn off.

You might wonder why a World Renew staff person is working in a good agricultural area while other parts of the country have greater needs. The answer is two-fold.

Four years ago, World Renew needed a place to start to become established during a volatile time in South Sudan’s history, and it made sense to start in a place that had at least some chance of success. The second reason for working in Yei is that, although conditions for crop production are good, the actual amount of food that was being grown and brought to market was surprisingly low—so there was a clear need to boost food production and food security for farming households.

As we look to the future, we hope to expand World Renew’s work in South Sudan to longer term agricultural and market development, and establish a new World Renew program in one of the crisis areas. I am amazed and thrilled by World Renew’s support in South Sudan in terms of funding and technical activity. As we pray, discuss, and plan our move into one of the crisis areas, we ask for your prayers. 

Please pray that we make wise decisions; that we allow God to lead and guide us; pray for our safety in places where there are far too many weapons and violence is common; please also pray for our safety on the roads and for our vehicles.
 
God has provided World Renew with a ministry opportunity in South Sudan, and we greatly value your involvement, support, and your prayers.
 
Pray for South Sudan:
  • Please pray against corruption in the marketplace.
  • Please pray for the safety of World Renew staff; some people resent the changes being made and think the new ways will only benefit farmers.
  • Please pray for good understanding and cooperation between all parties (the government, farmers, consumers, traders, and World Renew).

 

Hedd Thomas

Country Representative 
World Renew South Sudan