13/03/2010

Couple of the locals brightening up the dayHappy chaps 

Well this  is the end of the second week in Camp Concord on the Maanga {muunga} road .This week has been quiet eventful and also a bit frustrating along with the confirmation of my thoughts that we need to become as self sufficceint as possible very quickly.

The govt system in the north seems to be doing its best to delay us as much as possible with all our gear still in boded storage at Kostie port on the Nile waiting for clearance so it can be moved all the letters have been written and signed .But bookra [tomorrow seems to be the only word spoken]

The camp has progressed along well this week with kitchen and Mess area nearing completion and should be operational on Sunday with a bit of luck our new communication building the same hopefully we can get our tower up today.The network here is constantly going down I think because of the overloading  and when it gets hot. Every body has a phone as soon as they get enough money don't worry about the food just your self a phone even if you have no air time money.

Bit of Government dealings this week but not much as most of the time they have been shut due to the "campagning"for the elections next month .The whole town was closed on Wednesday due to the vice president and a few other hopefulls on the hustlings .So just about all the shops shut.

The Governor was up and about the next day and his party faithful who bought enough water for 4 days to take on the trail and the fact no trucks had arrived in town with produce we have a shortage of bottled water so lets hope the trucks arrive tonight and we can get some today.The consistancy of the transport services people provide is  a non event and will be one of our major concerns.

We will have to have our program booked months in advance and followed up everyday to make sure they do the job and have all the passes etc to get through the various check points they will need to go through.

The Zimbabweans are finding the heat hard to take and have never experienced any thing like it in there lives.But they need the work as there is not much back home.

We have had 2 cases of Malaria this week but not contracted here the operators have been in Mozambique training and this is where they picked it up.Guilty [yes thats his name] our medic was very quick to pick it up and start treatment and get it under control we have test kits and malaria drugs with us.Guilty is very experienced and has been working in Dafor before coming here to work.

Have had a labour dispute with the locals so have to go and deal with the local headman and see if we can get an agreement signed to stop the continual bickering .They have a preconceived idea we are being funded by  a Government and have endless resources to give to them and handouts .Tis should be an interesting meeting we have plenty of people who want to work but these boys are local and from the Governors village but we can not be pushed around and with a bit of god funno diplomancy we will be good as Len Buckeridge said with the water side workers dispute several years ago "take no prisoners".

so this is my Gorgon dispute. They are on good money of 10sdg a day plus lunch and free transport to and from home what more could you want . 

Mitzy in His new Kitchen

The dining area

Kobus and Frank trying to sort out the Satellite TV for the Reds v Force game and Luckily for me they were unsuccessful

The seat of Government Maanga Village, Gwit County, Unity State, South Sudan

These guys had never seen themselves no mirror some times the photos on the blog are cropped

james barginning for fish with his parasol

pet Vulture

The old art of Chalking

                                                                               Impressive Horns need a strong neck

The smell of burning grass and charcole making has been with us for several days now as the locals burn the graas tointise the green shoots and the locals make charcole from the timber they cut down as the cut grass for their Shacks and make them selves ready for the wet I think there will be a lot of hungry people by the end f the wet.

I went to James parents house A forgotten village on the our skirts of  Rooham Kona where there were two tribes fighting so the soldiers  cleared the Village and all that is left are some ruins from British colonial days and some huts.The population is old and young .Kids leading blind people with sticks .and the frail they have nothing if James was not working for us his parents would starve and nobody would know or care except James the reality of poverty is humbling and so sad.No amount of money will fix it we can only try and help with jobs and basic training and if one member of each of our workers families can be educated and some understanding of the world we may have a start.Some would rather have airtime for their phone than basic life essentials. Must be off to sleep enojy the photos it is a happy place to be.