New Life Ministry (For the Sudan Mirror)

The New Life Ministry for Sudan is an organization operating in Aweil in upper Nile. In its relatively short history the organization has achieved considerable successes. This is made all the more impressive given the obstacles which were faced during the first couple of years. James Lual Atak is Founder and President of the organization and he gave me some insight into how a young Sudanese man with no capital or resources came to establish an NGO that now runs four schools and an orphanage.

‘I started the organization about six years ago. It was a dream and the dream has come true. I was one of the lost boys who went to the United States. I was supposed to be in the United States. But after I got all the paperwork done to go to the United States I said no. I will go back to Sudan and help my people. I was twenty four years old. People said “How are you going to make it and I said I am going to make it. I had a feeling. I told people I was going back to Sudan. I had to go back. No one helped me. I was living in Nairobi under a scholarship of Christian Organisations. There was no one who gave me the money. Even the organizations who sent me to school did not give me the money.’

James threw himself into his work with enthusiasm that would eventually prove infectious. Taking the initiative himself he made his own way to Sudan and began preparation of a site for the orphanage he planned to build. ‘I decided to go and I went on May fifteenth 2002 and I started clearing the site by myself. Then I came back after spending six months without sponsorship. I had no money to pay for a plane so I had to ask for a lift. I said to a pilot “I have no money; I want to get to Loki.” I got a lift off Concern. When I came to Nairobi I showed the pictures to different organizations and I was given five hundred dollars by Open Doors. When I got the five hundred dollars I went back.’

This DIY attitude was to give James the momentum he needed to get his project off the ground. He started teaching classes on his own under trees. Teaching up to three classes at a time with no real resources to speak of he would spend his time going from one group to the next and give each class something to sing or recite while he moved between the three. He at this point had nobody else to assist him and he used to have to and fetch water from the river for the children. ‘I couldn’t afford even a bicycle.’ He tells me and explains that in those early days there were times when he had to sell his own clothes simply so he and the children could eat. However his use of the meager resources available to him was to prove crucial in securing further assistance.

‘One of the days I came to Nairobi. I went to Open Doors again and they gave me two thousand dollars. I took this money and I made a borehole. The children could drink close to their school and go to the class under the tree without textbooks.’

The local community also came to use the borehole. James then opened up three clinics in the area to help the local people in 2003. ‘I could not also close my eyes to those children who lived close to the school and were poor. I allowed them to come free to the school under the tree.’

‘When I came to Nairobi again I got money off a lot of different organizations. Any time I got anything I would rush in again because I was so touched. I was really touched by my people. When I came here I would run around with the proposal. I would get the money from different people and then I could establish a school for the outside community. Although the orphans were the priority I wanted to deal with the outside community first in order to keep them there. And also so they knew someone was thinking about them, who was one of them and giving the support they could.’

‘All the children were under the tree and they would leave when it got too hot and when the wind blew the papers in their hand would blow away and even the blackboard would blow over. When I got money I constructed classrooms for them.’

‘People in the area were going to the river for water and this often caused them to be sick so I constructed eighteen boreholes in the area. When I started in this area it was just bush but now it has become a town. People used to say “You will run away” and I said “If I run away God will see.”’

Once he had helped to ensure a future for the local people and they would not be forced to leave the area James was now able to concentrate on his main priority. Helping young people who like him had been orphaned. He explains how there were no shortage of children in need of assistance, ‘From there I could start concentrating on the orphans. From 153 orphans the number increased to 303 orphans last year, 2006 to 400 now in 2007.’

I ask him about how he feels that a young man like him should have to provide such services for so many people and if he feels the New Sudan is developing in the way it should he gives a typically candid answer, ‘Health is a big issue in Southern Sudan. We got peace but we are not concentrating on development. Then what did our people die for? They died for development, they died for education, they died for our rights, because of people being neglected. I want everybody inside and out to understand that it is our task to work to improve the situation, to change the system.’ He feels that it is the responsibility of Sudanese people to help themselves and to take the responsibility for the development of their society and illustrates the enormity of the task New Life Mission. ‘We have constructed the biggest orphanage in Southern Sudan, in a place called Aweil west. Aweil West County is our main headquarters right now but we are also supporting Aweil north.’

When asked how he feels about Foreign NGOS who come to Sudan and the way in which they operate he is equally frank, ‘They have the money. Millions of dollars and they could not even it use it wisely to focus on helping people. So they just spend money on constructing out of mud bricks. Which is not fair it is better to construct something permanent. Most NGOS, international organizations, have wasted their money. People come to Aweil now to see what we are doing and they are amazed. They wonder how this could happen. Right now we are building a big two storey building and it is the first building of its type in the area.’

James is also extremely proud that the buildings built by New Life Mission are made from concrete and not out of prefabs or mud bricks as many foreign NGOs use. He feels that it means that something will be left behind for future generations and the buildings will guarantee that children can be helped and educated for many years to come.

Further to this as he employs only Sudanese people he feels that not only is money not leaving the region but skills and experience are arriving. He feels that this experience will be invaluable. ‘What I need is for them to work hard. Every child of Sudan needs to work hard to build a future. Every morning at the work site we have 87 people working. Every single brick must be lifted up by hand and the water must be taken up. There was nobody who tried to improve their situation and tried to help them and tried to support them and show them the right direction. You see it was not easy when in the beginning I used to say “Hey Brothers it is good to work hard. To make what you need here.” People come at around nine o’clock and they want to leave at around twelve and I said no that’s out you cannot be paid a full day.’ However with their new income and skills the workers were able to begin improving their life situations, ‘With the money they bought cows or goats. Some got married.’

Skilled labourers were initially brought in from Kenya so the Sudanese workers could work with them and learn new skills, ‘The important thing is to get the skills from the Kenyans. I could see they are really working so hard to improve their situation.’

He feels it is extremely important that Sudanese people learn to help themselves and feels that anybody living in the Diaspora who have skills and experience that can help the people of Southern Sudan should return to help build a future for their people. If anybody is interested in visiting the project and learning how to initiate and run projects James is more than willing to help.

His contact details are;

Nairobi office: + 254 20 272 4700

Nairobi mobile: + 254 722 370 870

Satellite phone: + 88 216 4333 5404

Email: jameslual@yahoo.com