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Greetings!
I've just returned from Southern Sudan, where I slept with one eye open every night because just prior to my arrival, a local child was bitten by a cobra that slithered down from the thatch roof into the boy's bed! I've come home a bit travel-wearied by the ruined roads, the dust and the heat, and a bit dismayed by landscapes parched from lack of rain and systems riddled with inefficiency. Despite all that, however, my overriding impression of the people of Sudan is of resilient hope:
Hope in the faces of the girls learning at St Bakhita School.
Hope in the eagerness of the women planning to construct their own roadside cafes and begin other local micro-enterprise projects.
Hope among the women beginning a health outreach project in the villages.
Hope made possible by YOU, the generous supporters of Mercy Beyond Borders.
Today I ask of you one small favor: click on the FORWARD TO A FRIEND button to share this eNewsletter now with someone who does not yet know about Mercy Beyond Borders. Let's expand this circle of compassionate action.... Thank you-or as we say in KiSwahili: Asante sana! and in Arabic: Shukran!
With a grateful heart,
Sr Marilyn Lacey |
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Events
This Flowing Toward Me book signings with Marilyn Lacey, founder of MBB
Oct 2: Mercy Center, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA
Nov 8: Los Gatos Presbyterian Church, Los Gatos, CA
Carnival Cruise for MBB
Nov 9-12: 4 Day Baja Mexico Cruise from San Diego.
Book with Anne Johnson at 650-697-1341 or email mytravelcove@yahoo.com.
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| Did You Know? |
When a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.
[Source: UN Population Fund] |
| Read Our Blogs |
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Mercy Beyond Borders blog provides a weekly commentary from MBB's founder, Marilyn Lacey, rsm, on MBB activities at home and abroad.
Mercy in Sudan blog chronicles the experiences of Kathleen Connolly, rsm, who moved to Africa in Jan 2009. She is living at St Bakhita School in Sudan. |
Help us spread the word about MBB by forwarding this eNewsletter to friends who may be interested. Simply click on the above button. |
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Ambassador Of The Month
Q. What has two legs, tons of determination and a heart huge enough to hold the children of Sudan?
A. Steve Randolph, MBB donor extraordinaire!
When Steve first decided to raise money for MBB by asking friends and colleagues to sponsor each mile of his first marathon run in twenty years, we knew he had a winning proposal.
Steve turned 60 the day before the big run. Encouraged by his sister and brother-in-laws, who live in Burlington, Steve trained outdoors all through the winter in his home state of Connecticut.
By successfully finishing the marathon--that's 26.2 miles--on Memorial Day weekend and sending over $3,000 to MBB, Steve's fleet feet accomplished an impressive feat for displaced girls in Southern Sudan! Congratulations, Steve--and thank you for supporting Mercy Beyond Borders!
Ambassadors of MBB volunteer to raise $1,000 each year for Mercy Beyond Borders. To become an ambassador, contact Sr. Marilyn Lacey.
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Archived Newsletters
You can find previous issues of this newsletter in the below links.
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The Power of Education
 What can lift a young girl, such as the one shown here with a sack of charcoal, from the unending drudgery of manual labor and lifelong submission to others? EDUCATION. EDUCATION. EDUCATION.
Mercy Beyond Borders is firmly committed to providing Sudanese girls with the chance for such schooling. During her July trip to Sudan, MBB Exec. Director Sister Marilyn Lacey saw convincing proof that the 800 + girls now studying at St Bakhita Primary School in Narus are being transformed into young women who have both a sense of their own innate dignity and a growing awareness of their capacity for achieving personal goals.
On a recent afternoon in a crowded and dusty classroom at St Bakhita Primary School, with the heat of the day making even the flies too lethargic to move, a team of 8th grade girls faced a team of 8th grade boys from the neighboring school in a formal debate on the topic of whether women should be accorded human rights equal to men's. Though many of the male students were actually young men in their twenties (because of the long civil war, many children started school later in their youth), the girls remained unfazed and spoke with spirit and evident conviction throughout the lively exchanges. The panel of judges (all men) conceded that the girls had won the debate, hands down. This is an amazing change from village life, where women have no voice whatsoever.
Such transformations do not occur without hard work. The St Bakhita faculty and support staff work long hours without the basic amenities most of us would deem essential: running water, electricity, nearby stores, fans or air conditioning. They and their students make do with outhouses, water from bore holes, and ground maize meals cooked by firewood. They rarely see fresh fruit or vegetables, and they get to enjoy a bit of goat meat only once or twice per month. There is no refrigeration, and therefore no ice-never a refreshing cold soda. They have no copy machines or film projectors, no class sets of textbooks, no library (other than 2 shelves of old reference books), no comfortable teachers' lounge. Most of the staff live in mud and thatch tukuls.
The school's Principal, Sister Edvine Tumwesigye, says the school's partnership with Mercy Beyond Borders has renewed their courage and helped them through tough times by providing funds for salaries, goats for nutrition, and sanitary supplies for the older girls. She sees an urgent need now for ongoing teacher training to develop her staff, some of whom have only an 8th grade education themselves. Also on her current wish list: solar lanterns so that teachers and students can study after sundown; Kindle e-book readers so that the students can have access to a range of books; and secondary school scholarships for the 8th grade girls who graduate with honors. |
Life in Narus
 It's a good thing that Sr Kathleen Connolly has always enjoyed camping, because her love of "roughing it in the great outdoors" is put to the test every day in Narus, Sudan. Kathleen is a volunteer at St Bakhita School, teaching nutrition, hygiene, basic health, and coaching the girls soccer team after class. She's doing her weekly laundry here by hand.
In the coming months Kathleeen will initiate a series of health promotion workshops for the Toposa women and other displaced groups in the villages throughout the Narus area. She knows that simple changes in hygiene could cut disease significantly: "I will stress hand-washing (not so easy when water is scarce and must be hauled long distances) and the covering of food to keep away flies and other contaminants."
Kathleen will also train several aides to continue the work locally. This project is being generously funded by a grant from Mercy Action, Inc. |
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You're receiving this email because of your interest in MERCY BEYOND BORDERS. MBB was founded in 2008 by three colleagues-- a Sister of Mercy, a university professor, and a medical doctor--determined to improve the lives of displaced women and children living in extreme poverty. We are a 501(c)(3) registered in California and committed to linking U.S. resources with displaced women & children overseas. We are currently targeting Southern Sudan, which has one-quarter of the world's displaced peoples.
Please feel free to forward this to others who may be interested in hearing about us.
Sincerely,
Sister Marilyn Lacey
Executive Director
Donations to support the work of Mercy Beyond Borders can be made online by clicking on the button above or sent to Mercy Beyond Borders, 1885 De La Cruz Blvd #101, Santa Clara CA 95050-3000. |
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