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 'WINDOW' ON ETHIOPIA

Trees, land and a new church

We got it. A large piece of land in Itang, in a place where the Nuer and Annuak peoples’ traditional lands meet. Michael, our Dinka priest there, works closely with Luk, the Annuak deacon. Their synergy is so powerful that the church is growing fast, so on that land, we have started to build a “proper” church – stone foundations; strong wooden walls, mudded, plastered and painted; topped by a corrugated iron roof – and a huge wooden cross mounted to the east wall, outside. When we visited, the walls were erected and the task of fencing the land was about to begin.

To me, one of the most beautiful features of the land is the shade provided by the twenty or thirty mature trees east of the church – already we can imagine meetings, feasts, TEE classes and literacy training taking place under their shade. But all this comes at a cost – land, church and fence are costing us 12,626 pounds. Not much by UK standards – but a huge amount for us. And there are at least five other places waiting for us to do the same for them.

'WINDOW' ON ETHIOPIA

Burning the midnight oil

The annual exams are nearly upon us and the students, conscientious as ever, want to do well. But many of them live in a single room, with parents and many siblings, which means that it is difficult (impossible, even) to get the peace and quiet they need to study. Many of them resort to sitting up all night, burning the midnight oil, at home – and going into School the next day. Something we could never have done – and hardly the greatest revision-plan. So, imagine how amazed we were when 66 students petitioned us to keep the Community Library at St. Matthew’s open all night, three days a week, so they can study? They’d thought it out – the gates should be locked at 8:00pm, to stop people going out or coming in; they’d take out any books they need before the gates are closed and only study in the long room reading room; and they’d willingly sign a paper promising to act responsibly and to maintain quiet in the compound. We’ve given them the benefit of our doubt - and agreed. Let’s hope they do as well in their exams as they need to if they are to escape the crushing poverty so many live in.