JULY 2014 BOMA PROJECT UPDATE.

Menendie, Korok, Angie, Donnie, Henry at JAM

July 1 - 7 Dr. Donald Lee Brake, Donald Lee Brake II, and I, made visits to Juba and Boma in South Sudan. The visit to Juba was meant to follow up on the contacts and collaborative initiatives I had earlier made with Joint Aid Management (JAM) and the government's Ministry of Education officials.The main object of the Boma Project visit was to make an assessment of the progress so far made since SEA Partners resumed operations in March 2014 after having been away for nearly a year due to the war that was fought in Boma between the rebel and government forces in May 2013.

Significant progress is being made and the Boma Project is making a bid difference for Christ in the lives of the people there. Faith Learning Center was re-opened and has so far enrolled up to 160 pupils and the school feeding program started at FLC in May is going on.

FLC students taking lunch .

The first crop of maize, beans and cow peas planted on a 4-acre piece of land in mid-May as part of the initiative to address food security problem is doing fine; and the Church continues to meet.

The most amazing progress was the installation of a Solar-powered water pump, during this visit, at the well in the SEA Partners' staff compound. Now there is running water in Boma; and there is the potential of using this technology to supply water to the Kaywa village if the tanks can be raised 18 feet above the ground. The hand pump that had earlier existed was damaged by overuse by the large number of soldiers who had occupied SEA Partners' compound during the war..

Solar-powered water pump

In spite of these achievements, there are still many challenges to be addressed in serving the Lord at the Boma Project. In this second half of 2014 two missionary teachers are needed to share the burden of teaching at FLC; the bakery project which once existed need to be re-launched as a means of local resource mobilization; and there is need to take advantage of the weather to expand the land under crop by doing a second crop this remaining part of the year.

Maize growing at the Boma Project farm

HENRY OKUMU
African Director,
SEA Partners.

Clean Water in Boma

"Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."                                                   Proverbs 25:25. (ESV)    In this second of four updates from my recent trip to Boma, the focus is on the installment of a solar-powered water pump. This new system now gives us the capability of supplying clean water to the entire Upper Boma community.  We are truly grateful for our generous donors who gave funds towards this project and want to share the "good news from a far country" with you all. A solar-powered water pump was installed in Boma to provide clean water. (Donnie Brake, Vincent, Robert and Ken)  Clean Water One of our five strategic initiatives is to develop clean water for our students in Faith Learning Center and their families in Boma.  Last week we installed a solar-powered pump into the well located in the SEA Partners compound.  To our knowledge, this is the first "running water" ever in Upper Boma and our hope is that this pump can make clean water more easily accessible to more people.  The hand pumps we installed previously were overused causing them to become damaged prematurely. With our new system, the pump will only operate when the water level in the tank goes below a certain level where a float automatically engages the pump. Milton  and Ken removing the damaged hand pump.  Another advantage is that the solar system does not require bright sunlight to power the pump. In our initial test, the sky was cloudy with intermittent showers and the 10,000 liter tank was filled in 10 hours. It was simply amazing!   Exciting Moments         It was fun watching the children play in the water.  They all came to our compound and wanted to be part of the action. Even the chiefs and army officers came to see this wonder of water coming out at the turn of a handle rather than with all the effort involved in pumping it by hand.       This project is a great success! According to Milton, our installer, with future funding we can raise the tank about 18 feet and the water can then be pumped to tanks 10 kilometers away. In this scenario, we could send water to Kiowa Village where getting clean water is very difficult.  We look forward to seeing what God opens up for us as a result of this new water system. Even Dr. Brake wanted to get in on the action.  Final Thoughts I remember my first trip to Boma 10 years ago. Doug Vander Ark (a founding Board member) and I hiked up the mountain through difficult terrain to reach the village in Upper Boma. The people we met (along with cooler temperatures and the lush vegetation) created a special place in our hearts that confirmed this as the site of SEA Partners' first project. One of the significant challenges we initially encountered was the lack of clean water. There was one old hand pump installed by a former missionary located some distance from the village, but the pipes were rusted and the water that came out was brown and unfit to drink.  People (women) were at that time walking down the mountain to fetch clean water and then carrying it on their heads the 8 miles back to Upper Boma. Over the next few years SEA Partners installed four water wells to improve this situation. But in the past year the wells became damaged through overuse during the ravages of tribal and national conflicts. Before this trip, only one well remained somewhat operational in Upper Boma. Now, because of your generosity, we have made a major stride forward in blessing this entire community with clean water. Your gifts are having a remarkable impact on the lives of the Murle people in Boma. The well in the school compound produces some water, but the seals have been damaged due to overuse.    We continue to need your help as we now must settle our account with the water pump contractor. To date, we need approximately $4000 to make the final payment. Please prayerfully consider a gift to complete this project.  God bless you. Donnie Brake  President

PS. I have added many new pictures to our website. Please go to www.sea-partners.org to see them.

Securing Food for the Community of Boma

"But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one."      2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)    In stark contrast to my visit three months ago, Boma is undergoing a remarkable transformation.  Johnson, one of our original South Sudanese staffers, wanted to show me the SEA Partners' corn.  Over a series of four updates, I intend to share these amazing changes with you so that together we can praise God for allowing us to be a part of His work in South Sudan. Food Security One of our five strategic initiatives is to develop a a consistent food source for our students in Faith Learning Center and their families in Boma.  This past April we brought in seeds to restart the agriculture program and now food is becoming available as the villagers begin to harvest the first of their crops. Ken, SEAP staff member, presents us with Boma corn that the local  farmers brought for our breakfast.  SEA Partners planted 4 acres of corn, cow peas and beans to help provide food for our staff and the school children.  When this is ready for harvest we expect a yield of approximately 1500 kilos of corn which will go a long way in subsidizing our school feeding program and the needs of our staff.  It was awesome to see the restored hope of the people as they once again have crops growing in Boma. Witnessing the transformation God has allowed in Boma since March is truly amazing.     School Feeding  Insuring daily meals for our children in school has been a priority for us.  Several of our donors provided resources which allowed resumption of our school feeding program back in May.  The program is very successful and we are now seeing up to 150 students attending school each day.  I was amazed at the amount of food these children could eat!   Their meals consist of corn, beans and sorghum and provide a healthy balance to their diet. We have been in contact with our partner, Joint Aid Management (JAM), to secure additional food for this program. We also anticipate further help from the United Nations as Henry Okumu, our African Director, continues to pursue this avenue of supplemental support. Final Thoughts The lack of food has been a critical concern in Boma this past year. Through your generosity and prayers we have seen a remarkable transformation in this regard over the past three months. Our school children are receiving daily meals and soon SEA Partners will begin harvesting its own food. Children from Faith Learning Center. Thank you for all your kindness toward the children at Faith Learning Center and the people living and working in Boma. We appreciate your partnership and look forward to serving God with you through this project. Donnie Brake  President   PS. As we continue to provide food to our students and the local people in Boma, please prayerfully consider a gift to help us continue the work God has called us to in South Sudan.