Update on Sudan Training

Suzanne Schultz, our director of program, has just completed her first of three weeks in Sudan as part of the Five Talents/Mothers' Union/World Concern literacy and financial education training that is currently taking place.

McKenzie Butler, our program assistant, just spoke to Suzanne, and here's her recap:

I just wanted to give you a brief update on the literacy training taking place in Sudan this past week. I got the chance to chat with Suzanne for a few moments today, and she is doing very well. They have just finished their 1st of 3 weeks of training. This past week, Suzanne had the opportunity to sit in on the literacy training, and she is very encouraged by all that is taking place. With this Sudan program, the Mothers’ Union and Five Talents will be providing literacy training as well as business skills and savings and loan association training to community members within 6 different dioceses in Sudan.

Suzanne shared something interesting that I thought I’d pass along to you to hopefully make the training become more real, even though we are miles away.

This week, the literacy trainer was explaining to the training participants the importance of literacy in the context of savings groups. He asked the question, “How would a group member know when to attend group meetings (in order to pay interest back on their loan) if they could not read a calendar?” His point was that being given the chance to become literate opens up so many doors including the ability to join a savings group and even the ability to read expiration dates on food items to ensure that the food does not go bad before you sell it to your clients!

It is really exciting to think about this synergy of literacy and financial education training. Many, many people will be empowered and will be given the skills to read and write and to save money and receive loans for their businesses.

I hope this is an encouragement to you. Please continue to keep everyone in your prayers. Harun Matuma, who will be the National Program Director for this program will be arriving in Juba on Sunday, and Peter Macharia, our program partner at World Concern, is currently in Wau and hopes to attend some of the training as well. Please continue to pray for all of them and together let us thank the Lord for the people Five Talents has the opportunity to partner with and the work that we have ahead of us!