Reflections on Sudan by Craig Cole

Recently, I traveled to Sudan with a Five Talents board member, Mr. Jim Oakes, to look at several microcredit and savings programs that Five Talents is funding and to lead a seminar on business planning and leadership principles.

The theme that best summarizes the trip and our message to the people we encountered was simply, “Don’t Ever Give In.” Jim, who preached at a Sunday service at the church in Wau, used the story of Winston Churchill giving this famous speech during World War II in which he exhorted a group of students to “Never Ever Give In.” He then used it again during our business planning and leadership principles seminar.

The testimony of the people we met in South Sudan is just that, a people who have not bowed to the horrors of almost 40 years of civil war since Sudan gained independence in 1956. And now that there has been a peace accord for four and a half years, they are hungry to learn how to become leaders and how to make their communities prosper. The church leaders and those working in the market place know they face enormous obstacles but their faith sustains them as they march toward a future they hope will bring peace and prosperity.

Overall the trip could be described as amazing and inspirational, and we clearly witnessed that the Sudanese have a desire to make a better life for themselves. They don’t seem to have the same type of entitlement mentality we sometimes see in our type of work. They understand the need for training, and they are eager to learn. There is this hopeful optimism for the future that definitely surfaces when engaged in conversation with the church and community leaders.

Yet, it is a complicated society that is still literally shell-shocked from war, and the learning curve is steep in a country that has few paved roads and a population with illiteracy rates of 85 to 90 percent in some regions. There is also an underlying tension in which violence might erupt without warning. The clan-fighting over cattle and property continues to plague the smaller towns and villages and keeps life unsettled and progress slow.

Biblically-Based Business Planning
While in Wau, we spent three days teaching basic business planning, alternating with leadership skills training. The group of 40 men and women meeting in the church were comprised of leaders in the local savings groups in Wau as well as the church leaders.

The purpose of the business planning sessions was to provide them with a learning environment where they would create an actual business plan that would include choosing a business, developing a marketing strategy and learning about record-keeping – all with a foundation in biblical values. We split the attendees into groups of six. At the end of the training, each group presented a viable business plan for the type of business they might want to start. One group wanted to start a guesthouse, another wanted to buy a tractor and then rent it out to local farmers, while others wanted to start a brick-making business and operate a rice farm.

Every time we conduct these trainings, I’m always struck by the intelligent questions and how committed the people are to learning. I shouldn’t be so surprised but that is the bias I carry with me into developing countries – that people can’t do things on their own. But, time and again, I’m proven wrong.

Leadership Training – Start Small Groups and Grow from There
One of the key points we made during the leadership training was the concept of the leader training a small group first and then spreading the word from there. We used Jesus as an example of how to lead effectively. He spent most of his time with a group of 12 men – his disciples. He trained them as a group, so they in turn could train others. The local Episcopal priest in Wau was really inspired by that idea and could envision his church becoming a training hub for the diocese by inviting a one or two priests from each region instead of all of them at once, and then training them to teach the others in Bible, evangelism and other topics.

The closing ceremony of our training was also memorable as the 40 or so participants each received a certificate and many of them gave a yell and held it up above their heads as they took it from our hands. At the end, two of the leaders in the church said a prayer for us and gave us a small gift.

Lietnhom – Transformation and Reconciliation
In December 2007, Jim visited the Lietnhom village bank site as they were just digging the foundation for the concrete bank structure. He admits that the hot, humid weather and rugged conditions made for his most difficult overseas trip.

In May 2008, the village of Lietnhom was burned to the ground by a rival ethnic group and tragically many villagers were killed and their homes destroyed. However, in the midst of the destruction, the village bank was spared because both groups had money in the bank. The local church and other leaders intervened and within one year, the savings groups were reconciled and the village bank became a focal point of community building. In 2009, the bank was dedicated as the Amat Wuot Community Bank, which in Dinka, the local language, means, “a union of communities.” Now, several different ethnic groups have members on the governing board.

The burned-out huts have been rebuilt, the marketplace has been revitalized, and the village leaders are proud of what they have accomplished. This is not just a story of individual transformation but one of an entire community that has been transformed and empowered.

“I was amazed by what has happened,” Jim remarked upon this most recent visit.

The Blacksmiths
I have one final story that I want to share with you. We met a group of blacksmiths, who were part of a savings group in Wau. As they were talking about their work, they told us they acquired their metal from burned out planes and tanks that were used in the most recent 22-year civil war. From these machines of war, they were making farm implements – literally taking swords and turning them into plowshares!