Hunger Relief: Phase 2

Since depositing funds with Lino Langoya, the Diocese’s Food Security representative in Palotaka, three weeks ago, I had been trying to arrange a return trip with cargo trucks to haul the grain to its intended destination: villages suffering from hunger. The trucks were in Uganda picking up construction supplies for building projects, and – not surprisingly – hit a few snags that delayed their return. They finally got clear and returned, and we thought we were good to go at the beginning of last week when – unexpectedly – Lino showed up in Torit to report in to the program manager of the diocese. At that point we found out that he had not been able to purchase as much grain from local farmers as he had hoped. Apparently a nearby military base and merchants from across the border had purchased large quantities of grain, depleting local reserves. Additional grain will become available with the sorghum harvest in the second half of December. We discovered, however, that we could combine the grain he purchased for us with some that had already been purchased for the same purpose with a donation from the Holy See, and transport the whole lot together. We were geared up to go again last Saturday at 9:00 am. Some last minute repairs had to be done on one of the trucks while the other two were fueling. The last minute repairs took several hours, and then the piece that was fixed broke again, necessitating another trip to the welder. We finally got on the road at 3:30 pm.

It’s a three hour drive to Magwi, and another hour to Palotaka. Since the trucks move slowly on the uneven roads we went ahead to drop Lino off in Palotaka, and then turn around to meet the trucks and sleep in Magwi. On the way back, we met two brothers on the road, James (16) and Emmanuel (15), who had just completed sixth and fifth grade respectively at a school on the Uganda border, and were heading home to Magwi for vacation. The front tire of their bicycle had broken and fallen off, and they were footing the final leg in the dark of night. It was nice to be able to lighten their load and lessen the length of their journey.

Above and below: Mass in Magwi.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees tarp makes for an interesting backdrop.

The trucks left early the next morning for Palotaka, and the plan was for them to load and return while I celebrated the Second Sunday of Advent with the Acholi community in Magwi. The bamboo chapel was full and the congregation lively and attentive. It wasn’t difficult to preach about preparing the way of the Lord, making crooked roads straight, rough roads smooth, leveling bumps and filling in gaps, with the local roads as a vivid point of reference. By the time we finished Mass, however, the trucks had not returned as planned, nor an hour or two later. Dennis and I decided we better head toward Palotaka to see what happened. We caught up with them a few miles outside Magwi, all loaded with grain, but with the first truck towing the second, and the third following behind on its own: the gear box in truck number two malfunctioned. I spoke with the driver, and he felt confident that after having lunch in Magwi all three trucks would make it to Torit by supper, so we went on ahead

Police, priests, soldiers and drivers loading grain in the dark in Magwi.

We found out later that evening that just a few minutes after we separated, as the vehicles were making the final ascent into Magwi, the cable being used to tow the second vehicle snapped, causing the truck to roll backwards downhill into a stream at the bottom. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The grain had to be offloaded though, and the following day another vehicle of the diocese that had been impounded by the local police as a result of a misunderstanding (another story) was temporarily released to pull the broken down vehicle out of the stream. The non-functioning truck was left behind, the other vehicle re-impounded and the two surviving trucks continued on their way arriving in Torit at noon on Monday. That afternoon I went with Fr. Ben (the bishop’s secretary) a driver, a mechanic and a small detachment of police and soldiers back to Magwi to secure the release of the impounded vehicle and use it to bring half of the grain from the broken down vehicle back with us to Torit. We loaded the grain in the dark and arrived home at 11:00 pm. We’re hoping that the vehicle left behind can be repaired and bring the last 14 sacks of grain to Torit in two days, so that by the weekend the first installment of grain will make it to those who need it.

I share the above experience with you in some detail, because from a distance it’s almost impossible to imagine how hard it can be, how many things can go wrong, how many unexpected twists and turns can emerge while trying to carry out what seems like a relatively simple project in the defiantly difficult circumstances of South Sudan. One thing is clear, though: the diocese desperately needs new heavy-duty cargo trucks. Time and expense would be drastically reduced and the output would double. It would eliminate half the challenges involved in trying to pull something like this off. In the mean time, though, these circumstances provide the setting for the ongoing miracle of the Church’s life and ministry here and the amazing and inspiring perseverance and resilience of the Sudanese.

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