1/15/13
Today it seems that luck is on our side. Firstly, I woke far too early, because of jet lag and really enjoyed the sunrise, the sound of the birds, the city waking up. We left the hotel in Kampala for the airport early this morning and had absolutely no traffic getting there. For anyone that has been to Kampala, you will understand the hugeness of this fact. We arrived at the airport early and there was no line to get through security or immigration, so we were able to enjoy a relaxed cup of coffee while briefly going over all of our projects. Upon arriving in Juba, South Sudan, I was thrilled to find that the temperature was a cool 89 degrees, a good 20 degrees cooler than the other times I have been here. The immigration line was long and slow, but for some reason, an official decided to take me out of line and to the front. Wow, really lucky! We were met outside by our friend and colleague, Jacob, who whisked us off to the hotel where we are always greeted like long lost friends by the warm and wonderful staff of the Logali House.
After lunch at the hotel, we met with the lawyer that is helping me register Pilot Light as an NGO (non governmental organization/non-profit) in South Sudan. This will allow us to work here legally without having a local partner, as we usually do. Driving around Juba, I was struck by how much has changed since I was first here 4 years ago. Juba is growing by leaps and bounds. The streets are mostly bumpy dirt roads still, other than those that lead outside of the city or through the center of it, but there is new building everywhere and signs that infrastructure is slowly improving here. Even the government buildings are very basic here. This is a country struggling to recover from decades of war.
The reason we have returned to Juba this year is because we will be forming a water cooperative around an industrial sized de-humidifier that will provide a much needed commodity, while also creating an income generating business. This machine will be powered by a solar element that is being donated by a company out of Simi Valley, CA. It will generate 4 times the power needed for the machine, so we will form another cooperative that will sell the excess power. The WATER cooperatives and the POWER cooperative will put some of their profits into a COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND, which will be the third cooperative that will give micro loans in the community. The government of South Sudan has agreed to donate the land needed for this project. Tonight we will have dinner tonight with a Member of Parliament here, who is our friend and colleague that is helping us through all of the hurdles to make this project a reality. This is a very complicated project, but I am confident that all pieces will fall into place.
