An insight on the Diocese of Yei which is linked with Connor from a Mothers’ Union member who works there
Mothers’ Union members in the Diocese of Winchester are linked with members in the Diocese of Kajo-Keji in Southern Sudan, which neighbours the Diocese of Yei where Poppy, a Mothers’ Union member from Winchester, works for most of the year. By understanding the conditions that Poppy lives in, and the issues she works with, it is possible to understand better the lives of fellow members in Southern Sudan.
Since Poppy’s husband John retired, they have spent most of the year in Yei. This is about 100 miles from Kajo-Keji, lying south of the Nuba mountains in Sudan, and about 2000 miles South-East from Darfur. Until 2005, Poppy was a health visitor, with a two year spell working with asylum seakers (most of whom were from Sudan). These experiences, combined with a course in Tropical Medicine, have enabled her to improve the health care provision in the Yei region.
The population of Southern Sudan is about 10 million. Around 92% of women can’t read and write. 27% of girls go to school, but there are 1000 primary aged children per trained teacher. Health is generally poor: 1 in 7 women die from maternity related complications with 95% of births taking place at home without qualified help. There are only 10 certified midwives and 88 doctors for the whole population of Southern Sudan. Polio has returned, not helped by the fact that 97% of homes do not have toilets. A girl has a higher chance of dying in childhood than of finishing her education.
The Martha Primary Health Care Centre where Poppy’s work is based, had been open in Yei for some time and had three staff when Poppy arrved. There was an untrained dispenser and a technician who could not understand why he had to wear protective gloves! The conditions were terrible. The refrigerator (with intermittent power) contained a single pack of blood. The cholera tent was equipped with dirty cholera beds (they have a hole under which a bucket is placed to take the waste from patients who don’t have the strength to walk), the floor was rarely cleaned, and there were no intravenous fluids available for dehydrated patients. The few medicines that were available were not stored or dispensed according to instructions, and were kept on a dirty floor.
In May 2007 Poppy conducted a Community Health Survey to establish the healthcare needs of the population and ways to provide healthcare promotion. Work on improving the Centre started in April 2007; in March 2008, thanks to Irish funding, a new clinic was opened next door to the old one by the Archbishop of Sudan.
The recently renovated old building will be used as a day clinic for immunisations, tests etc. whilst the new building is used for nursing patients. The new building has running water, which is most unusual in Sudan, and operates to UK standards. The Martha Clinic treats 2000 people per month, some of whom walk up to 10 miles for treatment. The ante-natal clinic has 900 patients per month and more than 1000 come for immunisation. Malaria is prevalent (35% of patients) and over 6000 mosquito nets have been given out. Most of the diseases that Poppy treats are, like malaria, preventable. The clinic also offers a mobile service to outlying villages, using a fully stocked Land Rover – treating more than 90 patients each day.
There are great plans for the future of the clinic. A presently unused building in the grounds has been selected for renovation enabling one half to be a children’s ward and the other to provide eye surgery. Poppy and John are seeking funding from various agencies and have formed their own charity as well – Brickworks. This also facilitates training for medical students. Initially 20 went to Kampala for nine months training, then a further 10 students were found training places in locations including Khartoum, Kampala, Liverpool and Arua.
The regional Yei Civil Hospital has just one doctor. Poppy is currently investigating the formation of a link between this hospital and Winchester Hospital. This has been successful in other areas; both Poole and St Mary’s (Isle of Wight) hospitals have links to overseas health facilities.
Poppy and John visit many communities with active Mothers’ Union members. One, about 15 miles from their home, involves a journey which takes 3 hours; the infrastructure is still incredibly poor after the civil war. Local Mothers’ Union members near Poppy’s home meet outside a church (shown on page 17), the roof of which blew off. This has recently been replaced using funds donated by Christ Church Winchester, where Poppy and John worship when in the UK.
Other snapshots of life in the region include:
• The cathedral in Yei Diocese is a magnificent building which seats 1500 at each of 4 services every Sunday! The average age of the congregation is just 25 years of age;
• The airstrip at Yei where goats and people roam at will, amongst landing and maneuvering small aircraft;
• The frequently foul-looking village water supplies and the more modern supplies that can be provided from boreholes where funding is given;
• A typical classroom where children are seated on the ground under the shelter of a tree, although 6 proper classrooms have been built in Yei Diocese and the Bishop of Yei has plans for a total of 10!
Connor link
In July 2010 Archdeacon Stephen Forde and Canon Cecil Wilson led a META team of 10 to Yei.
During that visit the Children’s Ward, which had been refurbished over the previous months, was completed and opened, with fittings that included curtains from IKEA Belfast! Fiona, wife of Archdeacon Stephen Forde spent 10 days, assisting Poppy at both the Children’s ward and the Martha Mobile Clinic in the bush. Fiona also conducted a number of training sessions with the children’s ward staff. Canon Sam Wright, Rev Patrick McGlinchey and Archdeacon Forde ran a two day clergy training school for over 40 members of the Yei Diocesan clergy, while the remaining members of the team worked in a number of the Yei primary schools.
Through the offices of CMSI, with some significant British Grant Funding, and managed in Yei by John Spens, Bishop Hilary has now achieved his goal of building all six archdeaconry primary schools (each with 8 classrooms), across the diocese.
A team from Lisburn Cathedral will be travelling to Yei in July 2011, and it is also hoped that there will be a further medical partnership between Connor Diocese and the Martha Clinic and Children’s ward.