Filling those empty tummies!

Abraham watching on as children enjoy their porridge.

Porridge being prepared for the children.

FINALLY!!! The photos we have been waiting on have come through from Bor, South Sudan-well some of them anyway! We did get multiples of the same one as Abraham worked really hard to get them to us via a poor network connection last night, making these photos all the more precious.

We are so proud of the work Abraham has done over the past couple of months, to establish the feeding station. There are very few supplies in Sth Sudan, which means that food and supplies often need to be brought in from neighbouring countries, such as Uganda. This makes them very costly.

It is only through the amazing commitment of Natalie Macpherson at Jambo Mtoto that we are able to establish the feeding station at this time, even before we begin to build the orphanage/school. Natalie’s commitment to Bocep is an ongoing one. The feeding station is in a temporary location right now but it will be relocated to the site of our building, where it will become a permanent structure when works begin.

We hope you enjoy seeing these few precious photos. The porridge-like food you see is made from the sacks of grain, available for purchase on our webpage. Thankyou to the wonderful people who have contributed to the cost of these sacks. The ladies looking after the children will, by the end of this month, begin receiving a salary for doing so. They will keep records and they will provide food, & some nurturing to the children.

We are feeling rather emotional at seeing these photos. We spent time with these children. We visited them in the village, where their situation was already desperate, before last year’s outbreak of civil war. We sent in 3 trucks to rescue them all, in a clandestine operation, from a dangerous situation during the worst on the unrest. We lost many of their friends/brothers/sisters as they hid in the shallows of The Nile. Hunger and illness snatched them away before they could become tomorrow’s successes, tomorrow’s champions, tomorrow’s leaders. We love these kids and we are determined to give them what they deserve. An education and a way to further themselves. Firstly though, they need life’s necessities-food, water, shelter and love.

We can never, ever thank our CEO Abraham Maluk enough, for his commitment to the children. He comes home late next month, having spent 5 months, assessing the children’s situation & establishing the feeding station. He left his home, his family & his job to go on the self funded journey. On his return, he will be available for public speaking and to give updates.

We have far to go but we are getting there!!

Thanks to a kind donation from Natalie Macpherson, who founded Jambo Mtoto (click here) to support disadvantaged children of Africa, we have the money to establish a temporary feeding station in Bortown to cater for the needs of the orphan children from our village. In January this year, after news that the village had been attacked by rebels, BOCEP was able to send in 3 trucks to transport 315 women and children to relative safety.  Our information is that, at present, the children are living in the town just outside a United Nations compound. At the height of the conflict, the compound was filled to bursting and unable to accommodate them within. They have however provided a small amount of food daily. At the moment the children are not receiving any schooling. Of course the most important thing for now is to address their basic needs first, food and shelter. Natalie has pledged to raise ongoing funds to build a more permanent feeding station once the orphanage school has begun construction.

Another project to be undertaken is the establishment of a sewing program. With the donation of $2000 for this purpose from a local supporter, we will employ skilled seamstresses who will train the ladies so they have some skills in using the sewing machines in producing items that the ladies can sell to support themselves and their families. The machines will be purchased from Uganda and are the old style treadle machines.

Following the recent unrest our plans to build and plans for the container have had to be placed on hold.  In the interim we plan to use the container for the storage and safe keeping of the grains, sacks of food and utensils for the feeding station.