I have my visa!

Got some great news yesterday. My passport arrived safely back from the Sudanese Emassy in London. And I now have my visa! All I need now is a contract to sign from Johanniter. It's been a stressful period trying to get my life organised and having to resign with no guarantee that my visa would be approved. Given that 13 Western aid agencies were expelled from Sudan in March I was never sure that I would get approval. But I'm delighted that I have and that I can start preparing mentally for the tough 6 months ahead.

The situation in Darfur is complex. A famine in the mid-1980s disrupted many societal structures and led to the first significant fighting amongst Darfuris. A low level conflict continued for the next 15 years, with the government coopting and arming "Arab" militias against its enemies. The fighting reached a peak in 2003 with the beginning of the Darfur conflict, in which the resistance coalesced into a roughly cohesive rebel movement. The conflict soon came to be regarded as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. The insurgency and counter insurgency has led to 300,000 deaths, though the numbers are disputed by the Khartoum government. Over 2.5 million people have been displaced since the beginning of the conflict. Many of these refugees have gone into camps where emergency aid has created conditions that, although extremely basic, are better than in the villages, which offer no protection against the various militias that operate in the region. To put these figures into context, imagine 45% of Scotland's population being displaced. When you hear the word displaced, it probably doesn't conjure up in Western minds just how destructive this process is. People have had to flee their homes in terror, families have been broken up, women have been raped and whole villages have been burnt out and the occupants massacred. Imagine almost half of Scotland's population being forced to live in makeshift camps and having to survive day-to-day wondering where their next meal was coming from, having little security and not knowing whether they could ever go home. That's the reality on the ground in Darfur.

Not long before I arrived at Thomas Barnardo House Childrens Home in Nairobi last June, 40 children arrived at the Home as IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). An IDP is a refugee in their own country. These children had been forced to flee their homelands with their families as a result of the post-election inter-tribal violence. Many of them had seen family members killed or brutalised by neighbours whom they had previously regarded as friends. During my 4-month secondment I could see the children developing in confidence and beginning to trust people again and therefore I know that the children and families who have been displaced in Darfur can prosper if they are given access to the basic human rights of security, education and primary health care. The work I'll be doing in South Darfur will target the last of those needs. Delivering primary health care services to vulnerable poulations is hugely motivating for me. I realise that the next 6 months are going to be the most challenging I've ever faced but I'm ready to throw myself into this challenge and hopefully help make a small difference to the lives of some very needy people. I will be working for just one of the 72 international NGOS that remain in Darfur, however the expulsion of 13 of the biggest organisations has made the work that Johanniter will be delivering ever more important.

Fast Approaching

It's almost exactly six months since I arrived back from my 4-month secondment to Kenya Children's Home in Nairobi. I was deeply affected by my experiences working with the children at the home and was inspired by their incredible ability to overcome the worst imaginable start to their young lives. The family atmosphere at the home allowed them to flourish and will hopefully give them opportunities that few Kenyan children have. I realised quickly that I could put my skills as a Chartered Accountant to use in developing countries to try to make a sustainable difference to the lives of vulnerable populations. Working for the benefit of the children was liberating. Suddenly, working for a Bank felt incredibly selfish and worthless. Seeing the children develop, even in the short time I was there, opened my eyes to a wider world and since I arrived back in Scotland in a cold, rainy November I have spent every spare moment looking for opportunities in humanitarian aid or international development.

After six long months of persevering, I have accepted a six-month contract with Johanniter International Assistance, a German aid agency. They run projects in South Darfur, Sudan, with the objective of delivering primary healthcare services to vulnerable populations in remote areas of South Darfur, which is unstable and lacks basic physical infrastructure. I will be working as Financial Controller/Project Coordinator with a very small team of ex-pat Germans supporting around 20 Sudanese staff.

It's not been a smooth road. I was initially offered the job back in early April. About a week later I received a call to tell me that the German Foreign Ministry, the main donor for the projects, was considering withdrawing their funding due to the security situation in the region. This was a reaction to the kidnapping of two French Aid workers in the area in April. Thankfully, a week later I received confirmation that the funding was in place and my contract could be prepared.

Therefore, last week I resigned from the Bank and I'm just waiting for my Sudanese visa to be issued (fingers crossed). I am due to fly to Berlin for a briefing on 10th June before flying on to Khartoum, Sudan on 16th June. I still have loads to do - I'm selling loads of my outdoor kit, my car and other household stuff that I just don't think I'll need for the next few years. My wordly possessions will now have to fit into two bags and weigh less than 40 kgs! It's incredibly exciting and terrifying in equal measure. But hopefully it will be the start of something special, both professionally and personally.