Fran Healy in Sudan
Travis front-man Fran Healy returned to South Sudan with Save the Children to find out if aid money is making a difference.
Monday 1 August 2005
"We are on the eve of the G8 Summit and the world's most powerful leaders are preparing to discuss the issue of poverty in Africa. For the first time ever, international aid is at the top of the agenda. I have come back to Sudan, a country I visited and fell in love with last December, because I want to witness aid in action and to see for myself how it can help Sudan break the cycle of poverty, which makes it one of the poorest countries in Africa.
"I'm rather cynical so always want to see what this money actually does, does it make a difference, is it worth giving money? Is it worth making an effort to help?
"We go to Bhar-Al Gazal in Southern Sudan, a region devastated by 21 years of civil war. It is one of the most isolated areas of Africa. Looking down from the plane (we have to fly because there are very few tarmac roads, making the cost of aid work here hugely expensive) you see how the war has left the country in ruins: there are no cities; no schools; hospitals or roads - just untouched landscape stretching for miles.
The sad legacy of war
"Sudan has a long history of difficulties, recently highlighted by the genocide in Darfur. The war in Southern Sudan was between the Muslim government in the North and Christian rebels in the South. A war over race, religion and resources. It cost over two million lives. On January 9th this year a peace agreement was signed between the government in Khartoum, in the North, and the rebels of Southern Sudan, the SPLA. This means that the SPLA have now moved from being the rebels to the leaders of Southern Sudan. If the peace agreement is to hold, it is vital that a good relationship is forged between both sides.
"One of the saddest legacies of the conflict here in Southern Sudan is that children were turned into soldiers to fight for the rebels. In the UK the closest kids any get to shooting people is on the Play Station or X-box. It is hard for us to imagine what it is like to live in constant fear of war. A whole generation of children here has grown up never having known peace.
Water equals life
"We go to a village called Rumrol, a place where few Europeans had visited until we turned up here last year. They had no well in December, a problem typical here in South Sudan, where less than 10% of the population has access to safe drinking water. Water allows you to feed the cattle, it allows you to water the plants; water equals life. Every day we go and have a shower and turn on the tap for a cup of tea. It seems crazy to come to Southern Sudan and check out a hole which 10,000 people use for their water source.
"Since we were here last, the villagers have received some help and have been provided with a drilling rig to create new bore holes for this area. But this is only effective if they are given the training to maintain the new wells for themselves. This way the folk learn how maintain the water source. This is the type of aid to be encouraged.
The importance of education
"Education is massively important in the developing world because it is the only way you can break the cycle of poverty by teaching people the basic things about the land, it's not like our secondary schools or primary schools they are getting taught basic stuff, but this is the stuff that is going to break the cycle. In Southern Sudan only 20% of them can to go to primary school.
"Every extra year that girls spend in primary school improves the chances that their children will grow up free from poverty - so good education for girls builds a healthy society. But there is a problem here because girls often miss out on schooling in this part of the world and are expected to work instead.
Looking for the long-term solution
"Sudan has the largest population of internally displaced people in the world. As a result of the war, millions went North to escape conflict. Now many are returning south to make new lives for themselves. The refugees here are surviving on handouts of household goods organised by Save the Children. The problem with handouts is that although they are essential for keeping people alive in emergency situations, they are not a long-term solution to poverty. Aid organisations want to encourage long-term development as a way out of poverty.
"Giving people tools, to work for themselves, is where aid is going. It is no longer putting a bandage on a wound. The old saying 'give a man a fish and he can feed himself for a day, but give a man some fish hooks and equipment and he can feed himself for a lifetime' it's a cliché but it's true.
"Before you come to Africa you have this idea you see all these images of these starving children and that is happening but that's not what Africa is really like, that's just a tiny little bit of Africa which makes a great story. I think a much better story in the face of no water, no food, they are amazing, very happy people, very up, a great sense of humour, wherever you go people are smiling and joking and you know. These are the strongest people you'll ever meet, they are stronger than me or you. They will be fine, they just need a little bit of help.
"This trip has clearly shown me how aid can work well when it is used to help people help themselves. But Sudan needs much more of this kind of aid, if it is going to successfully drag itself out of poverty, something the eight world leaders must consider this week. The G8 meeting in Edinburgh offers one of the best opportunities of our lifetime to make a difference. These are the eight richest countries in the world and they hold the key to making poverty history - I think it's time they bit the bullet."
