Hankins Leave Sudan
There were tears, prayers, singing and heartfelt thanks as Boo and Phyllis Hankins met one last time with the United Methodist pastors in Sudan District. After two years of mission service in Sudan Boo and Phyllis Hankins are leaving Sudan, to return to serve churches in Tennessee at the request of Bishop Swanson of Holston Conference. In fact, they left 3 days ago after preparing Diantha and I to respond to interim tasks such as unexpected medical needs of pastors and the ongoing support of several orphans and sponsored students. The Sudanese pastors thanked them for strengthening the churches and teaching them English and more. Their fellow missionaries thanked them for their example of teamwork and endurance as they persevered resolving crises in church and school. Diantha and I are grateful that God used them to do the difficult pioneering work in the development of the church here, work that not many others we know would be able or willing to do. Twenty-two years of the traumas of war and refugee camps leave deep wounds in peoples' hearts; in the case of the Sudanese United Methodists, these wounds have been exacerbated by the corrupt behavior of several former local church leaders which has deepened a prevailing sense of mistrust. The Hankins have worked step by step with these church members to build stability, continuity, and a sense of being part of a much large connection that will not let them be the victims of the whims of individuals any more.
Women's Division Team Visits Sudan
Two staff (Marva Usher-Kerr, Carol Van Gorp) and a Board member (Ollie Pleggenkuhle) of the Women's Division of the General Board visited South Sudan in April. They held a workshop for the United Methodist Women leaders to help them develop come together as a district, and develop some goals. In preparation for their visit, Diantha researched the existing programs for women's literacy in South Sudan, and the effectiveness of different approaches. We are hoping for their continued support of agricultural training for women, and continue to explore with them a possible approach to increasing the literacy of women, and of beginning village micro-finance programs that would put management of credit in the hands of trained village committees controlled by women.
Reducing Poverty: Our thinking advances...
For 9 months we have been thinking day and night about the issues of poverty we see daily: hunger, lack of money to pay for school fees or medicines. We can see now how the pieces might fit together to allow people to improve their life situations: now they have little income, so there are always more demands and urgent needs and their culture encourages them to help others rather than saving. If we could help them start micro-finance programs, in the future it would allow people to add up small savings in a village "bank" that they manage collectively, and learn to manage their money, which could be used to start income-generating activities or to pay for household needs such as school fees and medicines. There's another key piece of the puzzle: they need to improve their income, which in rural South Sudan mainly means improving agricultural yields and income so they can grow enough for their families, and have some left over to sell. Yet another piece: health is important. If they learn to improve their health and even to grow some of the medicinal plants they need, they are strong enough to contribute to the family income; but if they are sick, they deplete the family income.
Collaboration Blossoms
"How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1) From the time we got here, we've tried to get to know the other groups and people at work in South Sudan, especially in health, agriculture, education and micro-finance. The result last fall was that Diantha was invited by an NGO to help create a manual for training community health workers, and I was asked to be part of interdenominational trainings for pastors youth. At our request, another mission group provided our UM nursery schools with digital players with a variety of teacher training lessons on them. In March we contracted with a Christian Reformed group to provide training for 31 farmers from United Methodist churches. We were concerned that there was no regular gatherings of people doing similar work, to share progress and consider working together; so Diantha and I played a key role in starting monthly informal "teas" around agriculture and another around health. Since then the cooperative work has exploded: the same Christian Reformed group has offered to train for free, two groups of 50 farmers on improved cassava and sweet potatoes from two different villages where there are UM churches; UMCOR is working with us to select one of our remote UM churches for a fish-farming project and is trying to set up a health project so that it benefits another of more remote villages where there is a UM church. While our budget is tiny compared to the other mission and NGO groups here, or perhaps partly because of it, a lot is happening to help the villages we focus on, because of the growing willingness to collaborate.
Showing posts with label agriculture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agriculture. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Mission in South Sudan: April 1, 2011
Farming God's Way (FGW) Moves Forward
Small steps forward for this method of conservation agriculture in which soil fertility and scarce water is kept and increased both by not plowing and by covering the ground with a layer of mulch; and by adding natural fertilizers like composted grass and manure. FGW incorporates principles from observing Creation and from the Bible that works well to teach these methods in the villages of south Sudan. I held a workshop February 16 for 19 UM pastors and assistant pastors (I expected 10!) to introduce them to FGW; as a result, so far two pastors (from Logo and Mirodu villages) reporting to me that they have prepared a sample plot using these methods and are ready for me to supply them with maize (corn) seed so they can try it out! This makes me very happy. As of today I am proud to announce that Eden Teaching Farm of the Sudan District has officially begun what the new UN report on agroecology (conservation agriculture) calls "decentralized participatory research."
Not only that, but these methods may help Darfur in the north of Sudan. I've had a couple detailed email exchanges with a colleague in Darfur who hopes to use these methods there, and have tried to help her figure out how to adapt the the FGW methods to that area which has drier climate and scarcer resources than we in the south. I'm eager to see what may work there.
Steps forward on the global scene too: I've just discovered a new UN report (December 2010) advocating strongly for increasing the practice and scale of agroecology to increase food security and help small farmers worldwide; and a decision by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the U.N. in June 2010 to promote this "integrated holistic approach" for sustainable crop intensification. They even mention the importance of "learning by doing" and of partnering with non-governmental groups at the local level. So far the farming methods we are beginning here is not yet widely accepted or practiced in Sudan, but this tells me it will be promoted more and more. I'm encouraged in my work and thankful to be helping the villages and churches we work with to be involved at the beginning of an important movement.
Steps Forward in Development Hearts and Minds, too
We (mostly Diantha due to my limited mobility on motorcycles) have now completed basic strategic planning meetings in 13out of 17 villages, a process we began last September. We had no idea it would take so long! But we're excited by what's happening. We invite each church to choose an initial project that must meet 4 criteria: (1) It must address a top priority identified by the village during the planning meeting (2) It must involve investment by the village of labor, materials, or both (3) It must require no more than US $150 from us (4) It must be able to be started soon and completed in 4 months or less, so that the church and village have an immediate sense of succeeding in the long path to development. The results are interesting: Three churches have chosen an initial project in agricultural training because they reason that increased production will mean they have more food not only to eat but to sell to get money for school fees, medicines, and other crucial needs. Seven churches have chosen to build an additional school "building" (simply a thatched roof) so they can move more classes from under the trees and expand the number of village children who can be educated (for many of these children the church school is their only option as they cannot afford the higher fees of the government schools, which also may be too far away to walk to). And one church has chosen to build latrines so that their school children can improve their health. One church wants help to get culverts in the road to make it passable in the rainy season and allow their children to walk to school even in the rainy season. The reasoning behind their choices are gratifying. So are, increasingly, the comments made during the planning process. We always ask early on in the meeting for a list of things people are thankful for, as well as (inevitably) a list of what they need. During the first planning meetings last fall, the lists were predictable: they were thankful for their church and the local school the church had begun, the seeds and tools they have been given, the bore hole (deep well) dug with funds from US churches. But since the Referendum in January, the list of thanksgivings have been changing and deepening. We hear thanks for the Referendum, thanks for freedom and peace; and we often hear thanks for the improved life of women. Women are thankful for liberation from the fear that a harsh version of sharia (islamic) law could be imposed on them; thankful that the new government is making a commitment to the rights of women including making women 50% of all government leaders; thankful for a focus on decreasing gender based violence. While the villages and the churches, like the towns and the government, still have a long way to go to put all these changes into practice, its great to hear the excitement and hope in these comments. We feel privileged to be here, doing this, at this time.
Small steps forward for this method of conservation agriculture in which soil fertility and scarce water is kept and increased both by not plowing and by covering the ground with a layer of mulch; and by adding natural fertilizers like composted grass and manure. FGW incorporates principles from observing Creation and from the Bible that works well to teach these methods in the villages of south Sudan. I held a workshop February 16 for 19 UM pastors and assistant pastors (I expected 10!) to introduce them to FGW; as a result, so far two pastors (from Logo and Mirodu villages) reporting to me that they have prepared a sample plot using these methods and are ready for me to supply them with maize (corn) seed so they can try it out! This makes me very happy. As of today I am proud to announce that Eden Teaching Farm of the Sudan District has officially begun what the new UN report on agroecology (conservation agriculture) calls "decentralized participatory research."
Not only that, but these methods may help Darfur in the north of Sudan. I've had a couple detailed email exchanges with a colleague in Darfur who hopes to use these methods there, and have tried to help her figure out how to adapt the the FGW methods to that area which has drier climate and scarcer resources than we in the south. I'm eager to see what may work there.
Steps forward on the global scene too: I've just discovered a new UN report (December 2010) advocating strongly for increasing the practice and scale of agroecology to increase food security and help small farmers worldwide; and a decision by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the U.N. in June 2010 to promote this "integrated holistic approach" for sustainable crop intensification. They even mention the importance of "learning by doing" and of partnering with non-governmental groups at the local level. So far the farming methods we are beginning here is not yet widely accepted or practiced in Sudan, but this tells me it will be promoted more and more. I'm encouraged in my work and thankful to be helping the villages and churches we work with to be involved at the beginning of an important movement.
Steps Forward in Development Hearts and Minds, too
We (mostly Diantha due to my limited mobility on motorcycles) have now completed basic strategic planning meetings in 13out of 17 villages, a process we began last September. We had no idea it would take so long! But we're excited by what's happening. We invite each church to choose an initial project that must meet 4 criteria: (1) It must address a top priority identified by the village during the planning meeting (2) It must involve investment by the village of labor, materials, or both (3) It must require no more than US $150 from us (4) It must be able to be started soon and completed in 4 months or less, so that the church and village have an immediate sense of succeeding in the long path to development. The results are interesting: Three churches have chosen an initial project in agricultural training because they reason that increased production will mean they have more food not only to eat but to sell to get money for school fees, medicines, and other crucial needs. Seven churches have chosen to build an additional school "building" (simply a thatched roof) so they can move more classes from under the trees and expand the number of village children who can be educated (for many of these children the church school is their only option as they cannot afford the higher fees of the government schools, which also may be too far away to walk to). And one church has chosen to build latrines so that their school children can improve their health. One church wants help to get culverts in the road to make it passable in the rainy season and allow their children to walk to school even in the rainy season. The reasoning behind their choices are gratifying. So are, increasingly, the comments made during the planning process. We always ask early on in the meeting for a list of things people are thankful for, as well as (inevitably) a list of what they need. During the first planning meetings last fall, the lists were predictable: they were thankful for their church and the local school the church had begun, the seeds and tools they have been given, the bore hole (deep well) dug with funds from US churches. But since the Referendum in January, the list of thanksgivings have been changing and deepening. We hear thanks for the Referendum, thanks for freedom and peace; and we often hear thanks for the improved life of women. Women are thankful for liberation from the fear that a harsh version of sharia (islamic) law could be imposed on them; thankful that the new government is making a commitment to the rights of women including making women 50% of all government leaders; thankful for a focus on decreasing gender based violence. While the villages and the churches, like the towns and the government, still have a long way to go to put all these changes into practice, its great to hear the excitement and hope in these comments. We feel privileged to be here, doing this, at this time.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Training for Sudan Mission Work
HODGES’ SCHEDULE OF TRAINING TO PREPARE FOR SUDAN MISSION WORK
We believe that though we have years of background experience in health development, agricultural and microenterprise development in the U.S., it would greatly improve the impact of the future mission work we hope to do in Sudan to use our time now to get as much additional training as we can, while we can, which is particularly relevant to the particular setting of Sudan, including tropical climate and reality of village life. This is so important that we are willing to pay the cost of these trainings ourselves, though of course we would welcome anyone who decided to help; we are hoping this might work through a fund set up at Holston Conference. Contact us to find out more, at shodgesjubilee@yahoo.com.
Sep. 27-Oct. 2 (Diantha attended) CHE (Community Health Evangelism) Seminar at Equip, International in Marion, NC. Six-day training in a holistic approach to facilitating village planning and implementation around health, sanitation, clean water supply, literacy, family-based business, agriculture and evangelism; focused especially on a train-the-trainer approach to developing village leaders, and on using visual and role-playing methods that work with persons of limited literacy. Cost: $750
Dec. 7-11 (Steve and Diantha attended) ECHO Tropical Agriculture Conference, Ft. Myers, FL. (description of content and value). Three-day conference by this mission resource group included lectures and workshops on participatory community and agricultural development, agroforestry, cross-cultural communication, sustaining food production, appropriate technology in the village, biodiesel production, sand dams to store water, moringa and African medicinal plants, fruit tree propagation, building smoke-free efficient stoves, fish farming, and nutrition gardens. We had a chance to meet and get contact information for several missionaries doing agricultural development in Uganda, Kenya, Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Cost: $1310
Jan. 21-23 (Steve attended) Southern Sustainable Agriculture Conference, Chattanooga, TN. Three-day conference by the leading sustainable agriculture organization in 13 states of the southeast US included workshops on raising poultry, on-farm poultry processing, holistic animal healthcare, seed saving methods, farm machinery, building soil through cover cropping and composting. Steve was able to network with 4 persons who had done sustainable agricultural and health care work in Africa, including a Presbyterian missionary couple who have been doing agricultural work in northern Uganda for over 15 years. Cost: $42.61 (most expenses paid by SSARE and SSAWG Board scholarships)
Feb. 18-20 (Steve) Georgia Organics Conference, Athens, GA. Two-day conference will include workshops on basic engine operation and diagnosis for farm equipment; use of draft animals to grind meal and for other purposes; using forage plants to control worms in livestock; soil testing and fertility; and seed saving for warm-climate seeds. Estimated Cost: $747.72
Mar. 6 (Steve) Organic Growers’ School of Western North Carolina. Steve will attend one day conference to take workshops on poultry health, composting manure, and making cheese from goat milk. Estimated Cost: $190.30
Mar. 11-12 (Steve and Diantha) Sudan Summit, Kingsport, TN. No cost expected.
April 11-17 (Steve) Health, Agriculture, Culture and Community Workshop, at ECHO in Ft. Myers. FL. Five-day training that brings together principles of health, agriculture, cross-cultural communication, and skills in establishing relationships in the context of Christian mission that facilitate changes in the unhealthy behavior – including that rooted in culturally determined beliefs and values – that contribute to significant health problems. Includes an understanding of cultural anthropology, and practice of methods of cross-cultural communications. Estimated cost: $897
April 25-30 (Steve) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Community Training, at Equip in Marion, NC. Diantha was originally scheduled to take this, but cannot due to radiation therapy. Six-day training to teach community development approaches in the context of Christian mission to improvement in water quality and supply in order to reduce diarrheal and other diseases. Includes an emphasis on learning how to train others to replicate the process. Estimated cost: $655
May 23-June 3 (Diantha) Missionary Medicine Intensive – MMI at Equip in Marion, NC. Two-week course providing training in step-by-step methods to diagnose hundreds of tropical diseases, injuries, and illnesses. Lectures and hands-on labs cover the above topics as well as midwifery, physical examination methods, and skills of suturing, splinting, calculating dosages and rehydration fluids, sterilizing, and other topics. Estimated cost: $1120
Steve and Diantha Hodges
shodgesjubilee@yahoo.com
423-733-4436
We believe that though we have years of background experience in health development, agricultural and microenterprise development in the U.S., it would greatly improve the impact of the future mission work we hope to do in Sudan to use our time now to get as much additional training as we can, while we can, which is particularly relevant to the particular setting of Sudan, including tropical climate and reality of village life. This is so important that we are willing to pay the cost of these trainings ourselves, though of course we would welcome anyone who decided to help; we are hoping this might work through a fund set up at Holston Conference. Contact us to find out more, at shodgesjubilee@yahoo.com.
Sep. 27-Oct. 2 (Diantha attended) CHE (Community Health Evangelism) Seminar at Equip, International in Marion, NC. Six-day training in a holistic approach to facilitating village planning and implementation around health, sanitation, clean water supply, literacy, family-based business, agriculture and evangelism; focused especially on a train-the-trainer approach to developing village leaders, and on using visual and role-playing methods that work with persons of limited literacy. Cost: $750
Dec. 7-11 (Steve and Diantha attended) ECHO Tropical Agriculture Conference, Ft. Myers, FL. (description of content and value). Three-day conference by this mission resource group included lectures and workshops on participatory community and agricultural development, agroforestry, cross-cultural communication, sustaining food production, appropriate technology in the village, biodiesel production, sand dams to store water, moringa and African medicinal plants, fruit tree propagation, building smoke-free efficient stoves, fish farming, and nutrition gardens. We had a chance to meet and get contact information for several missionaries doing agricultural development in Uganda, Kenya, Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Cost: $1310
Jan. 21-23 (Steve attended) Southern Sustainable Agriculture Conference, Chattanooga, TN. Three-day conference by the leading sustainable agriculture organization in 13 states of the southeast US included workshops on raising poultry, on-farm poultry processing, holistic animal healthcare, seed saving methods, farm machinery, building soil through cover cropping and composting. Steve was able to network with 4 persons who had done sustainable agricultural and health care work in Africa, including a Presbyterian missionary couple who have been doing agricultural work in northern Uganda for over 15 years. Cost: $42.61 (most expenses paid by SSARE and SSAWG Board scholarships)
Feb. 18-20 (Steve) Georgia Organics Conference, Athens, GA. Two-day conference will include workshops on basic engine operation and diagnosis for farm equipment; use of draft animals to grind meal and for other purposes; using forage plants to control worms in livestock; soil testing and fertility; and seed saving for warm-climate seeds. Estimated Cost: $747.72
Mar. 6 (Steve) Organic Growers’ School of Western North Carolina. Steve will attend one day conference to take workshops on poultry health, composting manure, and making cheese from goat milk. Estimated Cost: $190.30
Mar. 11-12 (Steve and Diantha) Sudan Summit, Kingsport, TN. No cost expected.
April 11-17 (Steve) Health, Agriculture, Culture and Community Workshop, at ECHO in Ft. Myers. FL. Five-day training that brings together principles of health, agriculture, cross-cultural communication, and skills in establishing relationships in the context of Christian mission that facilitate changes in the unhealthy behavior – including that rooted in culturally determined beliefs and values – that contribute to significant health problems. Includes an understanding of cultural anthropology, and practice of methods of cross-cultural communications. Estimated cost: $897
April 25-30 (Steve) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Community Training, at Equip in Marion, NC. Diantha was originally scheduled to take this, but cannot due to radiation therapy. Six-day training to teach community development approaches in the context of Christian mission to improvement in water quality and supply in order to reduce diarrheal and other diseases. Includes an emphasis on learning how to train others to replicate the process. Estimated cost: $655
May 23-June 3 (Diantha) Missionary Medicine Intensive – MMI at Equip in Marion, NC. Two-week course providing training in step-by-step methods to diagnose hundreds of tropical diseases, injuries, and illnesses. Lectures and hands-on labs cover the above topics as well as midwifery, physical examination methods, and skills of suturing, splinting, calculating dosages and rehydration fluids, sterilizing, and other topics. Estimated cost: $1120
Steve and Diantha Hodges
shodgesjubilee@yahoo.com
423-733-4436
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