The madness begins....

I arrived in Berlin at the offices of Johanniter International Assistance at 2 p.m. My stress levels had been high over the last few days in the build-up to my departure from the UK. I finished work on Monday and then spent Tuesday shopping and packing. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make the 41kg weight limit that had been arranged for me but I made it with 5kg to spare. Essentially I was just taking clothes for my 6-month mission and things like DVDs and books to help the long evenings pass. I'd also been advised to take a good stock of toiletries as these are hard to get hold of in Nyala. And I've now been issued with my Johanniter visibility clothing so I have less space in my bags that I had before.

My first afternoon was spent with the Desk Officer for Sudan, who had been dealing with all of my admin arrangements and helped recruit me. It was great to finally put a face to a name. I also got a quick introduction to the 20 or so staff members based in Berlin. A new Country Director for DRC is also being briefed this week and we will be doing some of our training together. I was briefed on the background of Johanniter (Order of St. John), which dates back to the 10th century, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller , and had a thorough introduction to our projects in South Darfur and the living conditions and working conditions that I will face. The office in Nyala has a few "guest rooms" attached and this is where the Country Director and I will be based. The Desk Officer had visisted Sudan last month for the first time and spent some time in Nyala. She told me that although there was electricity during the day thanks to an on-site generator, this was switched off at night and small lamps were used to light the house. She also told me that it is likely that I will sleep on a bed outside because of the prevailing heat at night and the lack of air conditioning. The toilet outside is a latrine and doesn't have running water and so is flushed by bucket. However, I'm sure it won't be as bad as some of the toilets I've experienced on my expeditions in the past so that doesn't unsettle me.

There's absoluteley no doubt that it will be a challenging 6 months in Nyala. The incumbent Country Director is leaving in September, the ex-pat Administrator in Khartoum is leaving in August and the ex-pat Medical Co-ordinator, who is in his 50s, also leaves next month. Therefore by September I will be the longest serving International staff member in Sudan. A scary prospect indeed. The previous Financial Controller was only in place for a couple of months and left in February, citing family illness. However, she hadn't adapted to the very basic living conditions (i.e. a bucket for a shower) and hadn't built a strong relationship with the Country Director. Hopefully I can get off on the right footing when I arrive in the country and it sounds like I'll be getting involved in a lot more than just controlling the finances. For example, one of my first tasks is to represent Johanniter in court as there have been some issues with local staff contracts.

I have a very full briefing aganda ahead of me over the next few days covering finance, logistics, security and marketing. It's really a case of immersing me in the organisation and their culture and the world of humanitarian aid and I'm trying to soak up everything I'm learning like a sponge. It's incredibly exciting to finally have taken my first steps into a completely different world and way of life. When I arrive in Khartoum I will have some admin to negotiate and need to get my work permit before I can travel to Darfur. I will then undertake some intensive security training in Nyala over the course of 4 days. Car jackings are on the increase around Nyala and travelling to the remote areas where the projects are located is sometimes impossible due to inter-tribal clashes. In South Darfur there is no real rebel movement fighting the Government but there are regular inter-tribal skirmishes and it would be easy to get caught up in these. And of course Ed Al Fursan, where our ex-pat Medical Co-ordinator is based, was where 2 French Aid workers were kidnapped in the last couple of months. The French NGO (AMI) have now pulled out of the area and Johanniter are the only NGO now operating there. Although this does have risks, it also means the we may have access to more donor funding since we are now the only people on the ground. And the intensive security training I'll be undertaking is designed to ensure that security is considered during project planning at all times.

I'm unlikley to be able to post any photos while I'm in Sudan as you need to apply for a licence to take photos and these are only given out on rare occasions. So I apologise for that. But I'd rather not risk having my work permit and visa rescinded and being told to leave the country.

That's all for now. Ricky.