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Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Stories from the Ground: From Dreams to Realities

Written By: John Jefferson

We had hoped to be bringing 5 tons of food on the plane, but there were several limiting factors that prevented it from happening on this initial trip.  First, the CSB (Corn Soy Blend) we ordered did not arrive in Juba in time.  Second, the payload of the plane would not allow for more than 1,000 lbs of cargo.  And third, we weren’t exactly sure how we were going to get it north of the refugee camp, even once we were in country. (Complexities of operating in a war zone!)   

We did however spend a day in Juba procuring enough sorghum and rice to fit the bill for what we wanted to accomplish and get it transported by the ubiquitous Chinese-made motorcycle “pickups” that could easily handle the load.  With that, we were ready to begin the journey to get food to the desperate people of the Nuba Mountains, against the best advice of other concerned parties, the desires of ruthless men that want to starve them, and even our own better judgment.  Though the rest of the road was uncertain, we set our faces like flint northward.

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