Answers for Kathy

I find that I am very, very fortunate in that I have several people in my life that I really, really love and respect and who love me in return. One of these amazing women is Kathy Inman. Kathy is the mother of another amazing woman who I love and respect, my best friend, Jennifer Wright (soon to be Jennifer Knapp). She recently sent me the following email, and I thought that the answers might make an interesting blog post:

"Thank you so much for writing your blog. It is the best way to see what you are doing on your new adventure. Is it what you had hoped? Do you not know yet as you are still settling into the job? You have traveled so much, does this area differ much from others that you have experienced with the same level of poverty? I guess I am asking if the level of violence that threatens the area make it that much different than other areas that have this level or poverty? And then my other question is, did you pick the right clothes to take? That question before this left my head heavy, so I needed that last frivolous question."

So, first, you're welcome. I really enjoy writing the blog and I'm glad that its informative and that it’s being read. As I've written before, it feels good to know that someone is reading this. I have never written a blog before and it helps to imagine that a particular person is reading it, instead of the Internet at large. To answer some questions:

Is my job what I had hoped it would be? The short answer is, "yes." Working in Sudan, having this opportunity and this adventure is my dream job. I always used to joke that I “wanted to live in a grass hut and save babies”. I might not be living in a grass hut, and maybe I’m not directly saving babies… but it feels good nonetheless.

Actually, most Sudanese live in houses like these.

This is a picture of the bed in my room, complete with mosquito net, of course.

I’ll save a description of my job for another blog post in the future, but basically what I do is to ensure Program Quality. Essentially, if we say that we want to reduce child malnutrition by 20%, I measure children’s nutrition and monitor our activities so I explain why we are (or are not) meeting our goals. In many ways, I’m very suited to this job. I like creating order out of chaos, and I like the idea of standards, benchmarking, measurement and ensuring quality (I know that every German ancestor I have is smiling down on me right now for this orderly perspective). I also have been really, really blessed to have had a great education and to have met the right people at the right time. The consulting jobs that I’ve had previous to this have really prepared me to see the “big picture” and to understand what has to happen on the ground in order to make policy at a higher level.

Is Sudan what I had hoped it would be? Sudan itself is a pleasant surprise. I had expected things to be more intense (scary, violent, sad etc) than they have been so far. I need to emphasize that I have never felt personally threatened, nor have I felt that the living conditions or health risks were too high. For the most part, things in Sudan are like everywhere else. People go about their lives, working hard to feed, house and clothe their kids. Trade happens, markets function, kids run around, women have babies, families eat together--- really, at the end of the day, people are people wherever you go. The information that we get about Sudan (and in fact, much of Africa) in the States is only a part of the picture. At home, CNN never reports that millions of Americans made it home safely from work that day. They only tell us when accidents happen and people get hurt. The same works with news from Africa. That being said it would be dangerous not to recognize the stark, preventable and terrifying differences between home and Sudan.

There are horrible atrocities happening in Darfur. They are well documented and there are much better sources for understanding them than my explanations.

There are tens of thousands of people who have had to flee their homes because of cross border violence.

Children and mothers die at disgustingly high rates. (One in six children die before their 1st birthday, over 2,000 women die in childbirth per 100,000 births)

There is a great possibility that in a few short weeks, there will be a war in Sudan due to Southern secession.

As though this isn’t enough, traffic fatalities are so high that the hospital in Juba has wards devoted to motorcycle accidents. (Called the Senke ward after the preferred brand of motorcycles). There is also an entire wing for leprosy patients.

· In Western Equatoria, a 15-year old girl has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than of finishing secondary school. (This article is another great resource explaining the dire situation in South Sudan: http://pulitzercenter.org/articles/southern-sudanese-say-independence-vote-will-improve-life)

I could go on and on giving scary statistics about Sudan, the numbers don’t lie and they are awful. So, is it what I had hoped? Professionally, yes. This is the kind of environment in which I have always wanted to work. As a human being, no, it is not what I had hoped. No one would hope for/ want such conditions to exist.

Do I really yet understand where it is that I am living and what it is I have gotten myself into? Probably not. At the moment it is very new and interesting. I am sure that if I revisit these questions in 6 months, I will have different answers. At least, I hope I will because that will mean I’ve grown and learned.

Does this area differ much from others that I have experienced with the same level of poverty? Is the level of violence that threatens the area make it that much different than other areas that have this level or poverty? I have never been anywhere else with this level of poverty. So, yes there is a huge difference. The only other developing country that I have lived in for any length of time is Mongolia. There is no comparison. Mongolian children aren’t hungry, the disease rate and mortality rate aren’t nearly as high. Women aren’t married so young. There is no comparison.

In actuality, Sudan is a very resource-rich place. They could grow enough food to feed themselves and have leftovers to sell. Sudanese are smart and industrious people, I believe that if it weren’t for the violence of the last 20 years, they would have functional schools and health care facilities. Unfortunately, farmers can’t grow crops if they are constantly running for their lives. The violence prevents families from taking advantage of the rich soil of Sudan. Hunger, poverty, disease and high death rates are man-made problems.

Did I pick the right clothes to take? (And don’t worry; I need a frivolous question here and there too) J Yes, I have more or less brought the right clothes. Easily washable, natural fabrics in solid and matching colors were the way to go. My hiking shoes were a good buy. I wish I had brought one or two nicer tops to wear in the office. I also think I should have brought one nice outfit to wear to the occasional party. But, then I wouldn’t have an excuse to have beautiful African dresses made. On the 3^rd, I’m picking up some dresses that I’ve commissioned a tailor make for me. I’ll post pictures. I think they’re going to be awesome!

Thanks Kathy for the questions, I’m about to get on a train to visit some cousins in Germany, so I have to sign off now. If anyone else has questions for me, I’d be happy to answer them, either in an email or on the blog.

Hugs from Dusseldorf,

Jen