Empowering the Young and Old

Wednesday, June 2
Wau, Sudan

We are currently in Wau having finished the training! One of the key findings during the leadership training was the idea of having the leader train a small group first. We used Jesus as an example. He taught his 12 disciples and spent a lot of time with them so they in turn could train others, etc. The local priest was really inspired by that idea and sees Wau becoming a training hub for the diocese. We take these ideas for granted but not here, not after so many years of war.

Also, we we able to visit a first grade class at the church school with Rev. Thomas Anei. During Thomas' visit to the U.S., he vistied my daughter's first grade class. During his visit, the class read these wonderful prayers for Thomas and for Sudan. So, at the class we visited in Wau, we had the children and the teacher read the same prayers in their class. We also gave them soccer balls that were donated. This was really memorable.

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. Jim’s words from earlier in the week, “Never Give Up” were our rallying cry!

We are now at lunch and in a few minutes we will be leaving for two other villages and back Thursday night. Then, on Friday, off to Juba to Nairobi. Saturday night we will head home.

Craig Cole

Men, Women Gaining Business and Leadership Skills in Wau, Sudan

Tuesday, June 1
Wau, Sudan

We have spent the last two days teaching basic business planning alternating with leadership skills training. The group of 40 men and women who meeting in the church are comprised of women leaders in the local savings groups in Wau and also the church leaders. So, we were asked to do some leadership training as well.

The idea behind the business planning is to have them come up with an actual business plan that covers choosing a business, marketing and record-keeping using biblical values. We split them into groups of six, and tomorrow they will present the finished plan.

As far as leadership skills, we have talked about the traits of a good leader and again had them come up with leaders within the country of Sudan and the world they think met those characteristics. Today, we talked about how leaders mobilize followers. We used the example of Jesus spending most of his time preparing the 12 disciples to be leaders who in turn would train more leaders.

Everytime we do 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 we carry with us into developing countries that people can’t do things on their own. But, time and again, we are proven wrong.

Pray for safe travel tomorrow as we leave in the afternoon to visit Kuadjok and Lietnhom returning Thursday night and then taking a plane to Juba then to Nairobi on Friday before leaving on Saturday for home. Thanks for the prayers!

Craig Cole

President and CEO travels to Sudan

Five Talents President and CEO Craig Cole, along with Board Member Jim Oakes, are visiting the Five Talents program in Sudan from May 29 to June 5. While there is limited internet accesss, I'll (Kelli) be posting updates from Craig as they are available.

Sunday, May 30
Wau, Sudan
Jim and I just finished two services. A Morning Prayer service in English that started at 8 and ended a little after 9 a.m. At about 10 a.m., the Dinka service started. It was Holy Communion.

Jim preached about leadership at the English service using Joshua and the battle of Jericho as his example. He also used Winston Churchill and his speech about never giving up as his ending.

I preached about the story of the Five Talents at the Dinka service. The Rev. Thomas Anei, who visited with us in the U.S. last November, was my interpreter.

One of the highlights from the Dinka service was the children’s choir. Beautiful smiles combined with beautiful voices made for a wonderful interlude between the readings and the sermon. An interlude that lasted 20 minutes or more with drums keeping it lively as well. What was fascinating was that several of the people in the congregation pulled out their digital cameras and their cell phones to take photos of their children singing. One person even recorded the entire performance using a camera installed on his laptop. It was as if I had never left home! There is a dichotomy here that is now happening all over the world. Technology is helping countries develop. However, at the same time, cell phones and internet access (as there is in this hotel) is becoming more integrated into society, there are still people driving donkey-driven carts and people living in mud huts with straw roofs. In fact, we saw one woman in Juba, who had a business that had a simple piece of wood with about 16 holes in it that had electric outlets. The outlets were then connected to a car battery. Half of the electric outlets were occupied by cell phone batteries being charged! This was her business!

I do have to admit that as I reflect on the smiles of the children, I wonder are their smiles a sign of normality returning to a war-torn land? Is it a sign of hope that their lives will be better than the horror their parents went through?

The future of South Sudan is still uncertain and there is a referendum in November in which the country can vote to become separate: two Sudans: One in the North and One in the South. There are rumors of war coming if the South votes to separate. But, for now, at this very moment, the conflict and uneasiness that is a shadow across this land, is forgotten. The children are dancing and smiling!

Tomorrow we will start our business planning class in the morning and leadership class in the afternoon.

Craig Cole

BBC Lifeline Appeal for Five Talents - BBC One

Five Talents Program Launched in Burundi to Impact 10,000 People

Five Talents is now working in the small Central African country of Burundi, in partnership with the Mothers' Union UK and Mothers' Union Burundi. And, within three years, 10,000 people will be beneficiaries of this project!

Since 2000, the Mothers' Union Literacy and Development Program has been successfully training Burundians in literacy and numeracy. Five Talents is now partnering with the Mothers' Union in order to provide business skills training as well as savings and microcredit group formation to the literacy program participants.

At the end of February, 16 Mothers' Union trainers from six different dioceses in Burundi gathered in the capital city of Bujumbura to receive this savings group and business skills training from Five Talents. These trainers will now share their knowledge through the Mothers' Union network in Burundi.

During the project's first year, the trainers will train 110 facilitators, who will help start savings groups throughout Burundi. Over a three-year period, 340 savings groups will be started and 10,000 people will be beneficiaries of this project, which will focus on the most vulnerable communities and at least 70 percent of participants will be women.