Nzara News from the Rev. Robert North

I thought the readers of the AFRECS E Blast might be interested in how the oil crisis between the old and the new Sudan is affecting the average person in one of the many areas of S. Sudan that are totally unaffected by the brutal military operations with in Sudan and across the borders into S. Sudan. First of all prices in the local markets are climbing rapidly. A long bar of soap now sells for 6 SSP as compared to 2 just three weeks ago and a small bag of sugar now  goes for 3 SSP rather than 1 SSP. We have few refugees coming from the north because most of those dislocated in the wars here went to nearby Congo rather than north to Sudan and have long since returned. People in the LRA areas are rapidly returning to their homes and fields. The American dollar verses the SSP has continued to climb in value (2.7 a year ago and now 4.6 to one dollar), which is the reason for all the price increases. The local merchants must buy their merchandise in Uganda, and Ugandan merchants demand to be paid in dollars and not S. Sudan pounds. Despite all these problems economic development continues to gain steam. Two new gas stations, a new bank, new church buildings and numerous new stores are being built everywhere in nearby Yambio. Nzara Diocese is constructing three new Guest tukuls, has recently wired its health clinic for electricity and is planning a major expansion of its facilities, has doubled the size of its Bishops House, and has remodeled and added work stations in its Computer Center. Workshops for Traditional Birth Attendants, for the sewing machine teams trained last year and for Health Outreach workers will be held in the next two months.


[Ed. note: For more news from Nzara, check out the diocesan website.]