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.