Steve & Lindsay - Medair

By Lindsay The pattern of work with Medair (as with a number of organisations working in developing countries) is 9 weeks on, 1 week off. These breaks are known as R&R (rest and recuperation), and we tacked on a week of annual leave so that we could have a longer time away. Normally, people start their R&R in Nairobi where Medair has a Team House which is free to staff, and a good gateway to fly to other places. But due to elections in August, we were advised to look elsewhere, so Steve came up with a mega-road-trip in South Africa, all in Suzy our (rental) Suzuki! In a nutshell: We flew to Johannesburg and drove to and through Kruger National Park, down to Graskop en route to Eswatini, then to the coast from St Lucia to Durban, clocking up about 2,300km. We saw some beautiful places, some amazing wildlife (we counted about 40 different animals from hyena to elephant to crocodile), and ate tons of steak.  Visiting Kruger was a really good experience - there are so many elep...

By Steve One of the perks of being in a regional advisory role is that I get to travel to field locations (as we call them) and visit currently ongoing projects, but then get to come back to the relative comfort of Juba.  Since starting in South Sudan 2 months ago I have been able to visit all of our “static” locations in South Sudan – Leer, Pibor and Renk. Travel to the field in South Sudan looks like this most of the time: First thing in the morning (say 6.00 am) we get driven to the airport which can be seen from the roof of our house, but still takes a little while due to the state of the roads which are more pot hole than road in most places.  The airport is usually a seething mass of people, even at this hour, and we join a queue of people waiting to outside the terminal building, many with multiple bags, boxes and rolled-up mattresses to make field life a little more comfortable.  Once inside, we can check in and then wait for our flight with the United Nations...

By Lindsay Greetings from Juba! For UK dwellers, I believe the temperatures this week are far beyond what we are experiencing. As we enter rainy season, some are days are 'cool' hovering around 26 ° , breezy and with a nice shower in the morning. Further north into South Sudan, the rainy season brings a huge challenge as the seasonal deluges result in the Nile breaking its banks and flooding communities. Our teams change from using planes for transporting goods, to using boats and rafts since the planes cannot land. Cars give way to walking. A lot of Medair's work is hampered or put on hold for a few months until the hot, dry season kicks in. But enough about the weather! I'm happy to report that Steve and I are both well and enjoying a phenomenal amount of carbohydrate. A few people have asked what our diet looks like, so some picks from the weekly menu: 9/10 Tuesday lunch - beans, rice, ugali (maize meal), cabbage and fresh watermelon (yum) 10/10 Wednesday dinner - ...

By Lindsay 'Day 8 in the Juba House, residents Steve and Lindsay are one full week into life with Medair, in Juba, living communally, and working in the Humanitarian sector...' Things I wish I'd known before coming: 1. Bring more mugs, they go walkies 2. Pack fewer clothes, you really don't need them 3. Bring a bedside lamp to avoid the mosquito net, tangle, light situation  4. Remember that you are starting as a beginner and you don't know anything! It's been a very positive week on the whole. The overnight flights from Birmingham to Juba were smooth, and the second, longer flight (from Istanbul) was quite empty so we both got a whole row to ourselves to lie down. I'd been warned that the airport arrival experience can be long, hot and chaotic, so was well prepared, but it was a lot easier than anticipated. We were met by the lovely Miriam who works in Nairobi (normally) but has been covering my job role for a few months in the gap between my predecessor go...

 By Lindsay We are rapidly heading towards Tuesday 7th June, when we leave this fair Isle and fly to Juba, to meet our new team, colleagues and friends, and start working with Medair. The prep has gone pretty well - there has been quite a few jabs, medical checks, bloodwork, a Resilience consultation (I loved mine - so many helpful tips of how to cope well!), tons of emails and a huge amount of help from Medair. We are almost packed up and ready to hand over our house to the lovely Anna and Julia who will be staying while we are away.  The emotion of leaving / arriving in South Sudan has not particularly hit me yet. Trying to imagine life somewhere different is always hard, and all I can really think about is leaving here well, and then we have about 12 hours of travel to mentally prepare arriving somewhere very new where everything (for me at least) is unknown. We have said quite a few goodbyes to friends, and yet I think the weight of leaving friends and familiarity will pro...

By Lindsay Steve and I are delighted to be joining Medair, a fantastic Humanitarian Aid organisation working in 11 countries around the world including South Sudan, meeting the needs of some of the most vulnerable people (medair.org). I was properly introduced to Medair last month when I attended the excellent ROC (Relief & Recovery Orientation Course) which introduced me to the world of Humanitarian work and threw me into scenarios where I began to imagine what it may be like living and working in a different environment. It was brilliant, and I came away really impressed with Medair and keen to get going.  Steve has already worked with Medair in South Sudan, so for him, this journey is different to my own where I am balancing excitement with some trepidation and a lot of list making. He will be working as a WASH Advisor (WASH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - basically loos and access to clean water) so he will be looking in on Medair's WASH projects across the count...