Projects and Partners

WMPL in Sudan: First Impressions of Malakal November 6, 2008

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It has been five busy days since Gail and I landed in Malakal, Sudan and we are grateful for the many friends who continue praying for us and this new opportunity. We are here for six weeks to gather information concerning a proposed ESL initiative in this southern Sudan city.

Our living arrangement is good. We share two houses with four single SIM missionaries and they have been a great help. We have visited with a few Sudanese leaders in education, medicine and the Church concerning the need for English instruction in Malakal. We are learning our way around by walking in the cooler times of the day.

What are we learning?

• We find an established Church that is reorganizing after the war.
• There are few missionaries in town (maybe no others).
• The Church faces a number of post-war issues.
• Education is high on the list of priorities for the nation.
• Children and youth are everywhere in the city (four schools close to our house).
• The vote for or against separation from the North in 2011 is on the minds of people.
• Arabic is widely used in this city.
• The desire to learn English is huge due to the Gov’t of Southern Sudan directives.
• There are some efforts, here, to meet this need in English.
• It is very costly to live here (fuel, food and housing).
• There is activity in Malakal to improve its infrastructure.
• People are optimitstic about the future.

Please continue to pray for us as we learn more and sift through the information and possibilities for teaching/partnering in ESL. There seem to be many avenues that this could take (with university instructors, civil servants, medical personnel, teachers in the primary and secondary level, etc.).

Thank you for standing with us.

Mike and Gail