A visit to Nzara's textile factory of yesteryear

Outside the factory

This machine separated and cleaned the cotton

At least spiders still weave here

The factory holds several hundred machines

Retired insignia

Outside the factory's power plant

Some signs of life

Yesterday afternoon, I visited a closed textile factory, located only a few minutes away from the cathedral here in Nzara.  Founded in 1949, the English owners employed hundreds who emigrated from around the country and region.  Indeed, the managers originally established the town's Anglican church.  The workers lived in company homes and grew cotton to be processed.

In 1990, the factory permanently shut its doors.

Planting rice and harvesting peanuts

Rice farming: dig, toss seeds, cover with dirt. No fertilizer or pesticide necessary.

Bishop Samuel among dozens of pineapples, Western Equatoria's signature fruit

Bishop Samuel (after a change of shirts) and I carry some lumber

All Saints Cathedral parishioners planting rice

Apparently, one parishioner and I have a similar taste in hats

Ever wonder where peanuts come from? Those plants to the left

Last Tuesday, over forty parishioners of All Saints Cathedral in Nzara traveled to Bishop Samuel's farm, where they planted rice and harvested peanuts (known here as groundnuts). They allowed me to farm beside them-- a kind gesture given my lack of experience.

I look forward to posting a full recap of the past two weeks in the coming days!

The bishop is back!

With Bishop Samuel Enosa Peni!

Gentlemen playing the game mancala

After the Mothers Union Workshop

Some chickens who desperately wanted to attend the workshop

A football/soccer match at a pitch/field in town

On our way to visit the bishop's aunt

The bishop's wife cutting some Ugandan fabric, which she sells (quite successfully) to students

Friday, June 5

Reverend Emmanuel and I discussed possible ways to connect the youth of Nzara with the youth at St. Peter's in Fernandina Beach.

Saturday, June 6

I sang at an evening choir rehearsal, which few attended because of a rain storm that blew through the town.

Sunday, June 7

During the main church service, the parish's secretary allowed me to introduce myself to the congregation, Afterward, Reverend Emmanuel invited me to his home so that I could meet his family. Later, we walked through the town and watched a local football/soccer match.

Monday, June 8

After an eventful Sunday, I spent most of the day working in the parish office on my assigned projects.

Tuesday, June 9

Much like Monday, I used my time to work on the projects, though I did make some strides in speaking Arabic with members of the parish.

Wednesday, June 10

After seeing a number of solar panels on the diocese's compound and in the town, I discovered that for 200 South Sudanese Pounds (about $20-25) you can buy a small personal solar panel, whose power lasts about six hours. I also discovered that on Friday morning, I would be speaking to the Mothers Union (an organization of women from several parishes within the diocese) on income-generating activities.

Thursday, June 11

I hit the books, searching for academic resources that specifically broached the problem of how indigent female women in remote and rural Africa can increase their incomes.

Friday, June 12

After traveling about twenty minutes to another parish for the workshop, I spoke with the mothers but mainly listened: I asked each woman to introduce herself and briefly describe her main source of income these days. All the mothers rely heavily on cultivation-- a fact typical of people living in rural Africa. Research suggests that a person living in such conditions can provide more security for herself during difficult times if she can find a way to diversify her income, perhaps by processing the food that she cultivates or by developing other skills, such as tailoring and trading.

In the evening, Bishop Samuel returned from his three week-long regional travels, where he had been working on building unity within the country's churches, which have been somewhat fractured during recent months.

Saturday, June 13

I attended the second and final day of the Mothers Union workshop with the bishop, who also introduced me to his aunt, who lives near the parish but whose home is about a mile from any established road.

Sunday, June 14

A three-and-a-half hour service, which featured a sermon by Reverend John Kamunde of Juba as well as political updates from county officers, officially welcomed Bishop Samuel back to Nzara.

First few days in South Sudan

All Saints Cathedral in Nzara, South Sudan

The plane that flew me from Juba to Yambio

Me with Yambio's county commissioner and Bishop Peni's wife

A look up at one of several mango trees on the diocese's compound

The community welcomed me upon my arrival!

The Bishop's wife and other women in town have kept me well-fed 

My tukul here on the church's compound

Thursday, May 28

Today, I arrived in Juba, where I met Bishop Peni's brother at the airport. He escorted me to the Episcopal Church Guest House, where I stayed the next two nights-- one of which, several furry creatures visited and munched on the bananas given to me.

Friday, May 29

I met with Reverend John, who had purchased a ticket for me to fly to Yambio, and I later rode into town to buy a cell phone.

Saturday, May 30

A two-hour flight took me from Juba to Yambio, where one of the diocese's reverends met me at the airport. On the drive to Nzara, we stopped for some tea, met with Yambio's county commissioner, and replaced a blown-out tire with a spare. Upon arrival in Nzara, the community prayed for my stay.

Sunday, May 31

I attended the church's 9:30am English service. Afterward, I met with the diocese leaders to discuss the projects that I could potentially help with, including the church's micro-credit project.

Monday, June 1

I attended a school assembly, where the teachers announced the results for the past semester (how many students passed, who performed best). As a guest, they asked me to introduce myself and to say a few words of encouragement, so I spoke about my work this summer and even quoted my countryman John F. Kennedy ("Ask not what your country can do for you...").

Afterward, one of the reverends introduced me to children at the church's two primary schools and then showed me the diocese's clinic for the community.

Tuesday, June 2

I met with the microfinance chairperson, who described the program in detail.

Since 2011, the diocese has exclusively loaned funds to indigent women, in an effort to empower them in the marketplace and society. Forty-two women now get loans from the church, which received the initial funds from a foreign donor. Before receiving the money, the women must first attend an education course, which focuses on the importance of returning the money on time and how the money should go to their entrepreneurial ventures. The church groups the women into four or five, then distributes the money to a single group which must pay half the money back after a month then pay the final half in two months. High-performing women who have paid back the allotted monies on time for several years (i.e., have built up credit) now receive a larger amount for their small businesses.

Wednesday, June 3

After some digging and some emailing, and after reading a number of articles on the wider policy surrounding microfinance, I found a helpful publication for practitioners through the UN's website: The New Handbook on Microfinance: A Financial Markets Perspective, edited by Joanna Ledgerwood.

Thursday, June 4

In the evening, I caught up with Reverend Ranjit over the phone!

A Warm Welcome!

Salaam from Nzara!

I'm Elliot, and this summer, I'll be working in development for Episcopal Relief & Development in Nzara, a town located in the rural southwest of South Sudan.  For making this service trip possible, many thanks go to the local diocese's leadership, namely Bishop Samuel Enosa, his staff, and his family.  Also, I must thank my own family and friends as well as Reverend Ranjit Matthews, his colleagues in global missions and networking for the Episcopal Church, and St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Fernandina Beach, Florida, my parish back in the United States.

The Nzara diocese has kindly welcomed a number of westerners in the past few years.  Indeed, the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa has a companion relationship with the church here, and its parishioners have written fairly extensively about their recent travels to the town.

South Sudan -- located to the west of Ethiopia, to the east of the Central African Republic, to the north of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and... to the south of Sudan

This blog will focus on my day-to-day activities, mostly following author Gretchen Rubin's idea of keeping a one-sentence-a-day journal.

I look forward to posting here!  Feel free to reach me at elliotjwatts+salaamfromnzara(at)gmail(dot)com if you have questions or comments.

Peace,
Elliot

Nzara is about fifteen miles northwest of Yambio