International Relief and Development and John Dau

ASAH's good friend John Dau signed an agreement with the International Relief and Development organization yesterday that should keep the Duk Payuel Lost Boy Clinic funded and operational for another year and half. The clinic has added cold storage so they can do vaccinations; they are distributing 14,000 mosquito nets to try and prevent malaria, and they are undertaking a massive de-worming campaign.

The building itself has added solar panels and a wind turbine, which should help all of us trying to build in Duk Payuel.

My Sister's Keeper: School Built!

The organization, My Sister's Keeper, reports on the successful completion of the 900 student school in Akon, southern Sudan. Looks like it was a 3 year project with many, many challenges.

Joseph on tour

Joseph had 3 presentations in 5 days in the middle of January: at Riverside Place in Fargo on January 14, at Carberry United Church of Canada in Carberry Manitoba, Jan. 18th, and Westworth United Church in Winnipeg on January 19th. All three events were well attended and well received, but the Carberry event was one of the most successful fundraisers we have run, and Joseph's presentation got a tremendous write up in the Carberry New Express.

Library Project Money Bomb!

A Library Project for Southern Sudan is dropping a money bomb on Dec. 14; please visit their site and donate what you can. But first, check out their video.

Lost Boy visits Minneapolis Area

The MPLS Star Tribune just ran a story about Benjamin Ajak visiting North Lake Academy in Forest Lake, MN. Benjamin is a co-author of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky; looks like the visit made quite an impact on the students.

Trip of a Life Time essay available.

I published a personal essay, "A Trip of a Life Time Doesn't Need to Come to an End," in the NDSU Magazine. The hard copy has many great pictures, not just the one at the top of the page.

Here are the first two paragraphs:

When I told friends and family members I was going to southern Sudan as part of a documentary film crew and humanitarian aid project, many asked me in different ways, "Do you think this trip will change your life?" I always answered with confidence, "no." I was just hoping to survive the trip without getting sick, shot at, killed in a plane crash, or stranded in a remote Sudanese village. I was pretty sure the trip would be memorable, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but not life changing.

Of course I was wrong.

A little press coverage for the premiere of ASAH

The premiere of our documentary, African Soul, American Heart, got some nice press attention from the Fargo Forum and it got television coverage from all the local stations, although I have only been able to find one story online so far.

WDAY: They call their story: Donations sent to Sudan.