In Case You Didn't Know

We traveled a long time for our 2 hour meeting. And we weren't in Africa. I was greatly heartened that so many of my board and one of our research team was willing to journey to Philadelphia, by train and plane, to meet for 2 hours with Monica Oguttu my counterpart in Kenya. Mama KMET, as she is called, is an impressive woman overflowing with ideas and ways to help the disenfranchised women of Kenya. She also spends a good deal of time in the Sudan.
It was good to see my Dada (sister) again and we laughed when we were alone. We laughed for the joy of seeing each other, and for the knowing that Americans know next to nothing about what happens in the place she and I call our heart home. Just going to the bathroom is an experience which we take for granted. Everything here is automatic, the flusher, the amount of soap, the amount of water, the towels.Our obsession with cleanliness is no better showcased than in our public toilets. In Kenya there are no public toilets, there's rarely soap or towels, and frequently the flushing of the toilet is accomplished by pouring water into the back of the john, if there is even a receptacle other than a hole.
The gathering was quite successful and I believe we have a better understanding of where we want to go next. How we shall fund it is still in God's hands.
So this morning I was reading the Nation and saw this article, and I wondered if anyone knew about this. 10 years ago it was quite chic to care about Darfur and the Sudan, now they are just part of the abyss of suffering and drought that is called Africa. However, in my eternal desire to keep at least my readers up to date, read on McDuff.
The Nation
By WALTER MENYAPosted Monday, November 16 2009 at 12:44

In Summary


The government of Sudan has now opened voter registration centres in three Sub-Saharan countries previously left out by the National Elections Commission.

Sudanese nationals in Diaspora will now be able to register and participate in the 2010 elections from South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Another centre has also opened in Malaysia bringing the countries identified by NEC for the exercise to 14.

And on Monday, hundreds of Sudanese nationals living in Kenya thronged the country’s embassy in Nairobi to beat the November 30 deadline set by the National Elections Commission.

Speaking after launching the exercise, Sudan ambassador Mr Majok Guandong denied the opening of the centres was a response to the pressure from the South.

“The Sudanese in Diaspora have a right to take part in the elections which the government and NEC recognise,” said Mr Guandong.

The Government of Southern Sudan had two weeks ago threatened to boycott elections if certain conditions were not met.

One of the conditions according to the head of mission of the Southern government in Nairobi John Duku was opening registration centres in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo-Brazaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo where Mr Duku stressed hosts many South Sudanese refugees.

Mr Duku had said the South was unimpressed with the way the North was conducting the voter registration exercise that started November 1 to run for 30 days.

The list of eligible countries initially distributed to Missions abroad included Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, Bahrain, the UK, Belgium (for all Western Europe) and USA.