Restoring Vision In the New Sudan

More than 90% of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries like Sudan. The principle causes of vision problems and blindness in Southern Sudan—Trachoma, Onchocerciasis (River Blindness), and childhood malnutrition—can be prevented or treated.
According to the World Health Organization...

The medical clinic in Nimule, South Sudan

• There is only 1 eye care specialist for every 500,000 people in Southern Sudan.
• In rural Sudan, 6.4% of the population is blind (1% is blind in the rest of Africa).
• In rural areas, 35% of blindness is due to River Blindness.
• Almost 20% of the world's blind people live in sub-Saharan Africa
• An estimated 2.2 million Africans are blind due to trachoma.
• There are at least 300,000 blind children in Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that, globally, up to 75% of all blindness is avoidable. However, in Sudan most people do not have access to health care or education about the importance of annual eye examinations to maintain sight. Poverty, inadequate healthcare and the lack of a supply of available eyeglasses renders adequate vision unattainable to most of the population.

A home visit for an eye examination

In the Spring of 2008 I participated in Operation Nehemiah’s “Sight for Sudan” project. We were able to do eye exams and provide eyeglasses to over 200 Sudanese. We had also identified 50 people whose vision was impaired by cataracts. I recently received word from William Levi of Operation Nehemiah that these people are still in need of surgery. On my next trip I hope to bring an eye surgeon to help meet this need. I also plan on bringing along some eye care equipment, a focometer and a retinoscope, available through InFocus, a non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness

The restoration of sight to people with vision problems is an important step toward empowering the Sudanese people. Restoring a person's sight can enable him or her to hold a job and contribute to feeding and housing a family. It can also mean that a person can participate more fully in society, and enjoy seeing the world and be able to read. Please consider supporting this effort by offsetting some of the $1,000 cost of the eye equipment we need to help people see again.

The Latest News From The Field

We are joyful to hear that the container of medicine has finally arrived in Nimule, South Sudan. Our Sudanese partners there are working out a plan for distributing the medicines to ministries throughout the Eastern Equatorial region. We will have a more detailed report once these plans are finalized.

As you may know, South Sudan is about to become "the world's newest country" in July. Yet, 90% of the population lives on less than $1 a day. The entire region is plagued by multiple systemic health issues as a result of years of war. The conflict between the southern and northern regions of Sudan, dating back to 1955, has contributed to the health challenges in the country and a shortage of health care workers. Ongoing inter-tribal tensions exacerbate the problem due to the lack of cooperation needed to develop an integrated health delivery network.

Meanwhile, the people continue to suffer. More than 80% of the population has no sanitary toilet access or potable drinking water. The maternal mortality rate – an estimated 2,054 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births – is the worst in the world, and almost one in seven children die before reaching one year old. The region also has very high rates of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

These medical supplies that we have provided to the South Sudanese are crucial to their day-to-day health, yet so much remains to be done. Please help support our ministry by giving generously today so that we can continue to help as South Sudan becomes its own nation in July.

Update From the Field

Praise God!

The container of medicine arrived in Port Mombasa this week, and we were getting concerned that port fees would start to accrue if the funds didn't come through in a timely manner to pay for transportation to South Sudan. Over coffee this morning I received an email stating that a donor was willing to advance the exact amount we needed. So, the work moves ahead... and we trust that the team on the ground will soon have the medicine in hand for distribution to those who need it the most...Our goal now is to raise the monthly support needed to ensure a steady flow of medicine and medical equipment.

In another show of God's provision, we were able to find a shipper who can move the medical supplies from Mombasa, Kenya to Nimule, Sudan for $4,500 - half of what we had originally anticipated. We have updated our donation forms to reflect this change - now a mere $5 pays to move the container one mile. Please do not forget that we still need to raise the money to pay for moving the container, although it is currently moving. Also pray that the shipping will be smooth, without major delays because of weather, truck failure, or human intervention.

It is a real joy to be connected to people who care enough to respond to the desperate need of those who don't have much of a voice in this world. Thank you.

Robert Kirkman

Trials and Tribulations

The Nimule-Juba Road

Our efforts to deliver medicine and medical supplies to the people of South Sudan have encountered many obstacles and hazards over the years. Many of these problems have been related to harsh terrain. Sudan has some of the worst roads in the world, with only 25 miles of paved road to date in a region the size of Texas. Most the the country has only rocky, unpaved roads. As you can see from these pictures, even within the cities of Juba and Nimule, all the roads are dirt.

Aerial view of Juba, Sudan

The few bridges that exist are extremely unstable, sometimes collapsing beneath our trucks, nor are the trucks themselves free from disaster. We have never had a supply vehicle that did not suffer flat tires, broken axles, failed brakes, blown transmissions, roll-overs or get bogged down in mud. Sudan's unforgiving climate – suffocating heat, dust storms, torrential rains and rivers of mud - also presents an extreme challenge to the timely delivery of any goods, let alone a shipping container of medical supplies.

One of our trucks attempting to cross a sabotaged bridge

Other obstructions have been human in origin – bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption and greed. We have had vehicles confiscated, impounded and held for exorbitant “fees” (ransom), and chased by guerillas. Many times we have been rendered powerless, in human terms, and driven to our knees in prayer.

Despite all these seemingly insurmountable challenges, we have never had a vehicle fail to reach the people in remote areas who need it most. I believe that a sovereign God intervened each time to accomplish His purpose.

This past week, I was informed by our Sudanese partners on the ground that the Bill of Lading for the sea rail container of medicine that is ocean bound had the wrong port of delivery. The container had been intended to go to Port Mombassa, Kenya. From there, it was to go overland to Nimule, South Sudan. The Bill of Lading stated, instead, that it was headed for Port Sudan, near Khartoum. If the container had gone to Khartoum, it would have been confiscated. Dr. Mindra Godwin exclaimed that his ministry would have "a one-hundred percent chance of never getting the valuable medicine." Emails flew back and forth, and everyone agreed that "all we have is prayer." Once a Bill of Lading is secured, it is basically a done deal. Signed, sealed, delivered. Virtually irrevocable. I was discouraged – this had the potential for being a real "deal breaker." But, like everyone else, I prayed (after calling a number of friends I know to be real Prayer Warriors). 48 hours later, I received an email from our donor organization which simply stated, "Great news and praise GOD!...Our shipper has been able to change the Bill of Lading to Port Mombassa!"

We may still be short of the funds necessary to transport the medicine all the way to South Sudan, but I am utterly convinced that it is in God’s sovereign will that it gets there. Again, we are powerless, apart from prayer. Thanks to the grace of God, the container will arrive in Kenya in a matter of days. Your donation today will help us bring that container to the people in Sudan who so desperately need it. You can make a difference. Even $10 will move the container another mile towards its destination. Tell your friends and family about this cause and this blog. Please pray with us and join hands to see it accomplished!

Children Are in the Greatest Danger

Child Survival Bleak in Southern Sudan

A recent report from UNICEF officials* in Southern Sudan indicates that the container of medicines we are currently shipping could not come at a better time. On December 15th, UNICEF reported that "child survival in Southern Sudan is one of the lowest in the world, with one out of every seven children dying before reaching their fifth birthday".
The report continued "Hunger, malnutrition and malaria are some of the biggest child killers, and "there is an urgent need to scale up relief and development assistance to help the region cope with the challenges it faces."


The report went on to say that

the risk for children begins in the womb, because the maternal mortality rates in Southern Sudan are the highest in the world - with more than 2,000 women for every 100,000 children born dying during pregnancy or following child birth. It also means that the mothers' mortality has an effect on the survival of the new born baby because access to health services which protect a child in the very first months of life is so limited.

UNICEF says it is stocking up relief supplies in Southern Sudan to provide assistance to children, women and displaced persons should the outcome of the referendum to be held in January 2011 lead to a resumption of conflict. We know that whether or not conflict resumes, the medical need is already great, and the return of displaced South Sudanese as well as the potential for conflict is only increasing that burden. Our partners on the ground have determined that the greatest need for this medicine is in Nimule, Sudan, almost 900 miles over land from the port at which our shipment will arrive.
Please "Join Hands with the New Sudan", by donating to the transportation costs so that the container of medicine can reach these most vulnerable children and their mothers. Even a donation as small as $10 can move the container a whole mile. We can make a difference in the lives of these Sudanese brothers and sisters.

In the Grip of God's Love,

Robert Kirkman

*The opinions reflected in the above are mine, and do not necessarily reflect those of UNICEF.