Mayardit FM radio station launched on 13 March 2010 in Turalei, Sudan

Internews Sudan launched its fifth community radio station, Mayardit FM, at a ceremony March 13 in Turalei, Sudan.

Internews' project, "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan," began in 2006 and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

A Village in Sudan Gets its Own Radio Station
Source: Internews Network Inc.
Date: 02 Apr 2010

(April 2, 2010) Internews Sudan launched its fifth community radio station at a ceremony March 13 in Turalei, Sudan.

"The goal of the radio station is to inform all of the people that can listen to it about issues that are vitally important to them: about issues of health [and] education, issues of civic engagement around the [Comprehensive Peace Agreement], voting, all of these kinds of things," said Gordon Mangum, the Internews Sudan country director.

Mangum spoke at the launching ceremony along with the Warrap State governor, the Turalei commissioner, the state minister of information, a Mercy Corps representative, and a local pastor. About 200 local residents also visited the radio station compound for the launch.

Mayardit FM is staffed by five local Sudanese journalists. One of the journalists, David Deng Bol, manages the station as radio station coordinator.

The reporter team collectively produces five hours of original programming each week on topics like agriculture, HIV/AIDS, youth, government, and sports. They also produce a daily news bulletin about local events in their community.

"Communication [is] very, very rare [in Sudan]. No televisions. No newspaper. No nothing," said John Thuc Madut, one of the station's reporters. "This radio now is a new radio and also we can broadcast through our language. And we can first give information to the community."

The station broadcasts in Dinka, Arabic and English, the three languages most commonly used in the community. Mangum stressed that the station belongs to the local residents.

"The radio station belongs to everyone in these areas, regardless of their tribe or their political party or their religion or any other way that we talk about ourselves. It belongs to all of us together," he said. "Now more than ever, people really need civic education."

In 2005 after nearly four decades of civil war between the north and south, a peace accord was signed with the promise of elections in April 2010 and an independence referendum for the south in January 2011. The elections will be the first in Sudan in 24 years.

Turalei resident Peter Qwash Malek, who attended the radio station launch, said the broadcasting center will serve a critical role during the polling.

"It will be so important for us to have it because when the election will take place," he said. "It will need people also to get some new words or some words from outside from those people who are in far places, because, by that time, everybody will be out voting. And when there will be some questions or some difficulties that can face them outside, [they] can be simply reported to the radio station."

Planning for the radio station started nearly a year ago. The reporters received about four months of training from Internews Sudan's resident journalism advisor Sammy Muraya, an award-winning Kenyan journalist. Among other things, he taught the journalists how to produce news and produce programs.

Mayardit FM reporter Christine Akuol produces two half-hour shows each week, one on agriculture and another on women's issues. She said she most enjoys her women's program.

"We here in Dinka culture, the women, they don't have a right voice," she said. "I like so that I can educate women, to bring them, and I can empower our community so that they know the rights of the girl or they know how the best girl should be educated. "

"There are some people who say that whenever you educate a woman, that means you educate a nation. So we can really to bring up our people," she said.

Akuol said people in her community are happy because they know the radio station will give them a voice.

"As soon as we have the radio, everything will be easy. We will stop any problems between communities. We will bring them up right now. They will grow as a people," she continued.

Mangum said he hopes that in addition to the Mayardit FM reporters passing on information to the community, the local community stays involved with the station.

"We've had such a warm welcome here," Mangum said in his speech at the launching ceremony. "We already feel part of the community and we look forward to being part of your community for a long time in the future."

Internews' project, "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan," began in 2006 and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

Coca-Cola and USAID expand global water partnership - UNICEF in Sudan marks World Water Day 2010

Most recent figures from the Sudan Household Health Survey 2006 show that about 40 per cent of the population does not have access to safe drinking water and more than two-thirds have no access to adequate sanitation.

Each year around 305,000 children die from preventable illnesses in Sudan and one of the big killers is diarrhea, which is caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

UNICEF in Sudan is calling for improved access to safe drinking water across the country to mark international World Water Day on March 22, which will focus on water quality this year.

Full story: UNICEF KHARTOUM/JUBA, SUDAN, 22 March, 2010 - UNICEF in Sudan marks World Water Day 2010 with focus on water quality
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The Coca-Cola Company and USAID Expand Global Water Partnership
WASHINGTON, 22 March 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire:

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Coca-Cola Company announce an additional joint investment of US$12.7 million in their global partnership, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA). Through this investment, WADA will support eight new multi-year programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa in Angola, Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania. These programs will begin as 3-year initiatives, representing a shift toward longer-term efforts and exemplifying each organization’s shared commitment to lasting, sustainable solutions to global water challenges. With this new investment, USAID and The Coca-Cola Company will have committed a total of $28.1 million since 2005 to support 32 projects in 22 countries worldwide in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Rajiv Shah sworn in as USAID Administrator

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton swore-in Dr. Rajiv Shah as the 16th Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Click here to visit ONE.org blog and read about Dr. Rajiv Shah and the swearing-in ceremony.

S. Kordofan: Heglig, the biggest oil field in Sudan, could be a source of potential conflict between SPLM and NCP

Heglig, the biggest oil field in Sudan, could be a source of potential conflict between the SPLM and the NCP. Sudan Radio Service spoke to political analyst Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh from Khartoum on Monday who explained that:

"As long as Unity state is one of the ten southern states it means that Heglig belongs to the south. The ABC report said Heglig is part of Abyei, the PCA said it is not part of Abyei. The southerners are saying if the PCA has removed Heglig from the Abyei area, it should be part of Unity state. The north is saying no, it should be included in Southern Kordofan state. This is the situation now. There is no confusion in the PCA’s verdict regarding Heglig oil field, the PCA’s decision has redrawn the eastern boundary of Abyei which was stipulated in the ABC report. It arbitrates on a certain longitude which excludes Heglig out of Abyei province. The SPLM says it is out of Abyei province but it lies inside Unity state, and Unity state is a southern state. So these are new disagreements and have nothing to do with Abyei.” 

Full story from Sudan Radio Service, Monday, 27 July 2009: Where is Heglig? An Analyst Explains

(Khartoum) – Heglig, the biggest oil field in Sudan, could be a source of potential conflict between the SPLM and the NCP, following the verdict by the Permanent Court of Arbitration which has placed Heglig and Bamboo oil fields outside the Abyei boundaries. Sudan Radio Service spoke to political analyst Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh from Khartoum on Monday. [Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh]: “There is no confusion in the PCA’s verdict regarding Heglig oil field, the PCA’s decision has redrawn the eastern boundary of Abyei which was stipulated in the ABC report. It arbitrates on a certain longitude which excludes Heglig out of Abyei province. The SPLM says it is out of Abyei province but it lies inside Unity state, and Unity state is a southern state. So these are new disagreements and have nothing to do with Abyei.” Since the two partners have reaffirmed their satisfaction with the PCA’s verdict regarding the Abyei boundaries, Mahjoub explains the source of the disagreements. [Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh]: “The south thinks that it (Heglig) belongs to Unity state according to a previous decree made by the former late president Jafar Nimery. Since he had established Unity state he decreed that Heglig becomes part of Unity state. It was named Unity because it had united the south and the north together, that was the logic. But they are saying that as long as Unity state is one of the ten southern states it means that Heglig belongs to the south. The ABC report said Heglig is part of Abyei, the PCA said it is not part of Abyei. The southerners are saying if the PCA has removed Heglig from the Abyei area, it should be part of Unity state. The north is saying no, it should be included in Southern Kordofan state. This is the situation now.” The SPLM said it is prepared to refer the issue of the Heglig oil fields to the PCA, if necessary. However Mahjoub says that the PCA has already announced its final decision regarding Abyei issue. [Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh]: “The court has no other business regarding this issue, it had announced its arbitration as the case was presented by the two parties, and both of them have accepted and welcomed the verdict, finish.” Mahjoub Mohamed Saleh, a political analyst, was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum.

- - - USAID 2001 Sudan Oil & Gas Concessions Map Click here to view large version of the following map from Wikipedia.  Click, once or twice, on image at Wikipedia to see full screen size. Heglig, the largest oil field in Sudan

Click here to view Heglig pin pointed on the following map from Wikipedia. Heglig Location in Sudan Coordinates: 11°59′N 27°53′E Country: Sudan State: South Kurdufan Heglig (also spelled Heglieg) is a small town in South Kurdufan state in central Sudan, near the border with Southern Sudan. The area was contested during the Sudanese Civil War. The South Sudanese Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) rebels attacked the oil rigs of Heglig to damage this important source of revenue for the Sudanese government. Heglig oil field Heglig is situated within the Muglad Basin, a rift basin which contains much of Sudan's proven oil reserves. The Heglig oil field was first developed in 1996 by Arakis Energy (now part of Talisman Energy).[1] Today it is operated by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company.[2] Production at Heglig is reported to have peaked in 2006 and is now in decline.[3] The Heglig oil field is connected to Khartoum and Port Sudan via the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline. (Source: Wikipedia) Click here to view larger image of map above showing Sudan's pipeline, North-South boundary, Abyei and oil concessions. Image source: www.stratfor.com

USAID has done some sort of audit of Care projects it has funded only to find that millions of dollars cannot be accounted for

From Rob Crilly's blog post, July 13, 2009 -
Shoddy Deals for Darfur - excerpt:

It turns out that Scott Gration is some sort of old chum of Helene Gayle, chief executive of Care USA, and was on the blower to her for a favour to help his deal get off the ground.

At the same time, USAID has done some sort of audit of Care projects it has funded only to find that millions of dollars cannot be accounted for. USAID is one of Care's biggest donors and was able to then dictate that the charity returned to Darfur, or else...