On Thursday 19 October, MAF flew a team from ADRA South Sudan and their guests from the Norwegian Embassy to Tonj in Warrap State.
Photos by Jonathan Pound.
Norwegian Ambassador Linken Nyman Berryman enjoyed her flight and the welcome she received in Tonj. ‘We had a very warm welcome at the airstrip with a lot of young school kids there to meet us! It felt like all the school children in Tonj were there. It was really nice visit. That you so much for flying us,’ she said.
Pilot Jono joined the passengers on their tour of ADRA projects. He was interested to learn more about the agriculture initiatives being introduced to improve food security in the traditionally cattle rearing area.
‘We started our tour hearing about casava, groundnut and rice production from some of the local farmers. We got to see casava production at a nearby farm. I learnt that it is a very useful crop because you can use every part of the plant.
The delegation visited Babchok cassava farm, Warker groundnut farm, and Malual Muok rice farm. Unfortunately, road conditions meant that the delegation were unable to visit three local schools.
We had a very warm welcome at the airstrip. It was really nice visit. That you so much for flying us
ADRA have several projects in Tonj to support agricultural production, education. They are part of Kong Koc Project, a partnership of organisations employing strategies to develop resilience and stability in conflict affected communities through a staged process of dialogue and project implementation. Kong Koc is a traditional value which means ‘to wait.’
The delegation enjoy a taste of local culture, as Jono explains. ‘We enjoyed watching locals perform their traditional dancing. I also got to experience some of the challenges of moving around in wet season when one of the cars in our convoy got stuck in the mud!’ Jono shares.
As they moved around, Jono kept one eye on the weather as there was a storm front approaching from the east. ‘Thankfully, the approaching weather didn’t limit the time on the ground too much. We arrived back in Juba with only a short diversion.
‘All in all, it was a fantastic day with a great bunch of people. There was an amazing welcoming committee with at least a thousand people lining the airstrip!’
ADRA – short for Adventist Development and Relief Agency, offers development and relief assistance in four states including Warrap, Upper Niles and Eastern and Western Equatoria. The NGO are frequent fliers with MAF in Eastern Equatoria and other parts of South Sudan. Their projects cover Education, Primary Health Care, Emergency Response and integrated programming including Food Security and Livelihood and agriculture; HIV/AIDS, WASH, and economic empowerment and gender/protection.
All in all, it was a fantastic day with a great bunch of people. There was an amazing welcoming committee with at least a thousand people lining the airstrip!