Africa's newest country? (image from Persecution Project)

The Sudan Tribune recently reported that 24 humanitarian organizations issued a report that Sudan is “alarmingly unprepared” for the secession referendum in January 2011.

One of the key factors in insuring a peaceful transition is to clearly define the North/South Sudan border, something that has not yet been accomplished. Without both sides agreeing on what constitutes northern and southern Sudan, the possibility for a renewed conflict between the two regions is greatly increased if the South votes for independence.

The referendum on secession was one of the terms specified in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed by the North and South in 2005. A key player in the peace negotiations was the United States, which is accredited with making the CPA a reality.

However, since taking office, President Obama has been criticized by the Left and the Right for his lack of action in Sudan. Obama made many promises during his campaign about intervening in Sudan, especially Darfur. And experts agree that a strong U.S. presence will be needed to ensure that the referendum vote is honored by Northern Sudan. Few people seriously believe Southern Sudan will vote to remain part of the North.

Salva Kiir was overwhelmingly elected President of Southern Sudan and will likely become the President of Africa's newest country next year. (image from Persecution Project)

The bottom line is that the next several months are going to be crucial as Northern and Southern government officials work to reach an agreement on what a post-referendum Sudan will look like.

Many millions of Southern Sudanese live in the North. So their citizenship status would be a major issue if the South secedes. Moreover, there are questions on how to dispose the national debt, water issues (since the Nile runs through Southern Sudan, and is the lifeline for the North), and trade agreements (since all oil in Southern Sudan must run through the North to get to Port Sudan).

Please keep the work of Mocha Club and Persecution Project in your thoughts and prayers, so the security situation will remain stable enough for our work to continue.

Ethiopia one-month team in their van - Melissa is on the front right in the black hood (photo by Asher Wood)

“…our team members washed the street boys’ feet as a gesture of our love and gratitude towards them. The boys then in turn washed our feet. Such humility and servitude was really astounding…”

by Melissa Kohne

The Mocha Club one-month team of six arrived fresh from America on July 29th and just left on August 23rd.  The team had a great dynamic and every team member brought their own unique and refreshing outlook on Africa. We divided our time between three Ethiopian cities: Addis Ababa, Nazaret, and Ambo.   Here are some of the highlights:

• In Nazaret we spent 2.5 days with the Women At Risk that Mocha Club supports. They are going through a nine-month program that focuses on counseling and job training. Each morning with the women we had devotional time together and then two women and two team members shared their stories with the group. To see such trust and hear such strength from all was truly one of my favorite times. The women also sang worship songs better than any other group I have ever encountered!
• In Ambo our team taught English to children sponsored by Compassion International (at a school Mocha Club funded), and worked with street boys. Four street boys in particular were adopted by our group. Our last night together in Ambo, our team leaders surprised us with a nice dinner, and after a coffee ceremony, our team members washed the street boys’ feet as a gesture of our love and gratitude towards them. The boys then in turn washed our feet. Such humility and servitude was really astounding and I wish I could capture that feeling of love and place it in this blog post for you all to feel.
• One of days in Addis Ababa, we had our own version of Thanksgiving.  All our team members were there, as well as our friends we had worked with the previous month. Seeing everyone interacting made it feel like a family Thanksgiving for sure.
• On the last day, all the girls of our team got our hair braided.  Some of the girls even wore traditional Ethiopian dresses on the plane ride home. The sight we made all walking the streets together was really quite hilarious!

Yesterday an Ethiopian friend told me that I was not a tourist, I was instead part of the Ethiopian “dispora” (meaning I was an Ethiopian who left and has returned). Although it was said in jest, my hope is that the way I interact with all gives off that impression. I don’t want to be another tourist who comes, gives physical gifts, and leaves. I’m still learning each day how to live beside my African friends (and not simply observe how they live), and how to keep these relationships alive and well once an ocean is between us.

For more about Melissa’s trip, you can check out her personal blog.

To read the article, click the image below and then go to page 34.

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki signs the new constitution in front of crowds in Nairobi (BBC Africa)

Kenya has adopted a new constitution, more than three weeks after it was overwhelmingly approved in a national referendum.

Tens of thousands of people watched as President Mwai Kibaki signed the document into law at a large ceremony in the capital, Nairobi…continue reading…

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan arrived in Kenya on Friday to participate in a ceremony inaugurating the country’s newly minted constitution, flouting international demands for his arrest on genocide charges.

Mr. Bashir faces two arrest warrants: one issued in July by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on three counts of genocide and one from March 2009 for war crimes and crime against humanity. In theory the warrants could be enforced by any of the court’s member countries, which include Kenya…continue reading…

Living Hope has launched its Worker Readiness School! In their effort to help those living with HIV/AIDS find jobs, they researched what South African employers are looking for.  Surprisingly, the employers’ greatest need is not that workers have the hard skills, but rather soft skills like emotional readiness and a positive mindset.  This prompted Living Hope to start the Living Way Worker Readiness School.   The course began in April 2010 with 10 participants, and Living Hope has already seen a lot of fruit from the program!
The training is a mixture of personal development, interpersonal growth, and fundamental job skills.  Specific topics include:

• Work Ethics
• Values
• Time management
• Communication
• Conflict resolution
• Interviewing
• Resume writing

The course is 9 full days of training spread over a three-week period. With homework and tests, the teachers ensure that all students are engaging with the material.

When asked what they had gained, some participants responded…

“I gained hope, forgiveness and taking initiative at a workplace as well as communicating with your colleagues.”

“How to manage my time and money… and how to be resilient.”

“To be on time, honest, forgiving, handling money God’s way, to communicate well.”

Thank you for your contributions that help provide job training to our friends affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

A little background…

Less than a year after a UN official announced the official “end” of the war in Darfur, Sudan, the UN released a document stating that May 2010 was the deadliest month in Darfur since 2008. Fighting between rebel groups and government troops cost nearly 600 lives, which is the highest death toll in a single month since a “peacekeeping” force was deployed in 2008.

According to the UN, the war in Darfur has killed 300,000 people and displaced another 2.7 million. Other estimates put the death toll as high as 400,000 killed.

Escalating violence in Darfur means more refugees – people fleeing the conflict zones. And one of the major “safe zones” where refugees go is the community of Jaac, on the Southern Darfur/Southern Sudan border [which is where Mocha Club has been helping build water wells]. Since 2005, the community has grown from a few thousand to now over 200,000 displaced persons. People are spread out over a couple hundred square miles of flat, dry “no man’s land.”

Water brings life…

Persecution Project Foundation is feverishly working to provide a basic water canopy for the population in Jaac. The 100 Wells Campaign has drilled 62 clean water wells in Jaac, with plans to complete 100 by the end of 2010. But this aggressive goal is totally dependent on God’s grace working through the generosity of thousands of people in America.

These men are in the process of drilling another borehole for a well

By using your community in America to support their community in Darfur, thousands of lives are saved. But, most importantly, many souls are saved as well as we introduce them to the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

This young girl gets a mouthful of fresh, clean water from a new well in Jach

War is a terrible thing. It is our responsibility to do what is within our power to promote peace.   In the case of Darfur, wicked men are killing and destroying to promote their own selfish agendas. But God is using the extreme upheaval in Darfur to drive many people to faith in Him. In the end, this is the only way peace will come to Darfur – or anywhere else in the world.

Here’s how YOU can help build more wells in Sudan…

1. If you’re a Mocha Club member supporting the Clean Water project monthly, log in to your account and invite as many friends as you can to join you!   Just $7 can provide clean water for 7 Africans for a year!
2. Go to our Emergency Needs page and give a one-time donation to the Clean Water project.
3. Run a campaign at your school, church, among your friends, family, and neighbors to raise money for Clean Water in Sudan.

Let’s keep doing our part in helping PPF reach their goal!

In this photo is New Dawn’s oldest high school student – a 39-year-old man who kept coming to the school to enroll.  At first, the school administration didn’t understand and asked him what child he was trying to enroll.   When he told them that he was the one who wanted to enroll, they naturally turned him away…after all, it’s a high school!  However, he was very persistent and kept coming back.  Finally, they admitted him.  Now, he has become so well-respected that the other students elected him as the President of the student body.  The principal said that the students respect him for his desire and commitment to finish a high school education.

Do we value our education this much in the U.S.?  Thank you for your sacrifice which provides hope and a future to these students!

Janet and her grandchildren

Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing you to some of the individual families who are being helped by the Grace Orphan Project that MC supports in Sunyani, Ghana.

This is Janet and her 3 grandchildren: Samuel is 9-years-old, Solomon is 6-years-old, and a little girl who is 3-years-old.   Janet does not have any extended family to assist any way.  She also lives in a separate dwelling, not a compound, so she is absolutely alone.  This setup is very strenuous for this old woman who is fully responsible for the grandchildren. Two of the children are from her daughter who left the kids with her and seldom visits and is too poor to send any money. The other child is from her son who is now dead.  To earn money, Janet heats the palm nut and extracts oil for sale.

In this area of Ghana, most households live way below the poverty line and do not have access to social security, state welfare, or food stamps.  They do not have any medical insurance and are unable to cover any medical costs whatsoever (not even aspirin for headaches). They barely make it from day to day.  Subsistence farming is the main characteristic of each household.  Most of the households are comprised of a grandmother taking care of grandchildren who have either lost one or both parents and are therefore considered orphans.

As you can see, life there is quite different from here in the U.S. where there is federal or state assistance available for those living in poverty.

Through MC’s Orphan Care program, Janet’s grandchildren are provided with education, school uniforms, shoes, and school supplies.  Thank you for your sacrifice to help serve the children of Ghana.

Yaa Yeboaa with grandmother Yaa Donkor

Over the next few months, we’ll be introducing you to some of the individual families who are being helped by the Grace Orphan Project that MC supports in Sunyani, Ghana.

Yaa Yeboaa is one of the Grace Orphans.  She lives in a female-headed household with her grandmother, Yaa Donkor, and her grandmother’s sister. Grandmother Yaa had 2 daughters. The first daughter and her husband are both dead. She takes care of a grandchild who has lost both parents. Her second daughter went for hairdressing training and became pregnant and so now has dropped out of the program and just stays on the same compound as her mother, together with her little girl. The father does not contribute anything towards their upkeep and since she is unskilled the burden falls on Yaa Donker to maintain the household, which she does by going to the farm daily to work the land manually. All four women sleep in the same room of about 3 square meters – grandmother + daughter + 2 grandchildren.

In this area of Ghana, most households live way below the poverty line and do not have access to social security, state welfare, or food stamps.  They do not have any medical insurance and are unable to cover any medical costs whatsoever (not even aspirin for headaches). They barely make it from day to day.  Subsistence farming is the main characteristic of each household.  Most of the households are comprised of a grandmother taking care of grandchildren who have either lost one or both parents and are therefore considered orphans.

As you can see, life there is quite different from here in the U.S. where there is federal or state assistance available for those living in poverty.

Through MC’s Orphan Care program, Yaa Yeboaa is provided with education, school uniforms, shoes, and school supplies.  Thank you for your sacrifice to help serve the children of Ghana.