Together for Sudan

The Bishop Mubarak Fund

NEWSLETTER MAY 2012

Power to the powerless through education Building peace through service

See the TfS blog at: www.togetherforsudan.blogspot.com

Dear Friends of Sudan,

SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN IN CRISIS BUT WHO CARES?

TOGETHER FOR SUDAN DOES!

ecent fighting and aerial bombardments along the borders between Sudan and South Sudan have

increased Together for Sudan’s determination to reach out to suffering women and children in

both countries. But current fighting in both South Kordofan and Darfur -- which prevents us

working in either area – provides a further warning signal to those who care for the long suffering

udanese people. Outsiders need to ask what we can do to help the people of Sudan and South Sudan

avoid descending into chaos through violence, vengeance and aggression.

Together for Sudan is a small charity blatantly on the side of women and children. For fifteen years we

have been responding to requests for help from Sudanese women. During this time we have offered

educational opportunities to several thousand marginalised, impoverished and displaced Sudanese

women, both northerners and southerners, Muslims and Christians, including many women from South

Kordofan and Darfur as well as the Khartoum area and South Sudan. Our Eye Care and HIV/AIDS

Awareness outreaches have benefited thousands of women – as well as hundreds of children and men.

So where do we go from here? An old

saying advises that , “When the going gets

tough, the tough get going. “ Together for

Sudan is currently short of funding,

impeded by bureaucracy in both Sudans,

and our office in Kadugli has been looted

and made off limits. But do sisters desert

their sisters? Not on my watch. As

Sudanese women are prone to say: “Men

want power. Women want peace.” With

your contributions we can provide these

resilient and long suffering women with the

education and support they need in order to

make their voices heard. We need your

participation to help Together for Sudan

save the present -- and the future -- for

families in Sudan and South Sudan. But, you

may be asking, what really can outsiders do to help these distant women and their children?

Together for Sudan believes that the three essential elements which empower marginalised,

displaced and illiterate women and children are faith in one another, health care and education,

education, education. I hope and pray that the women of Sudan and South Sudan will not remain

marginalised. But for that to happen they need as much help NOW as all of us can give.

R

Pupils attending Fulla Falls basic “self-help school” outside

Khartoum, the first school to receive TfS support.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.together for sudan.org

To support Sudanese women and children with an open heart, to look with compassion on their

suffering, is to endorse their identity as part of our human family, whatever their religions or ours.

Together for Sudan invites you to help us continue to support the women of Sudan and of South

Sudan through our educational and health care projects.

HERE EXACTLY ARE WE WORKING AND WHAT ARE WE DOING? Together for Sudan’s

KHARTOUM office is headed by Neimat, a Sudanese Muslim woman. Our flagship project in

the north is University Education for Women. TfS has put 244 Sudanese women through

university since our work began in the 1990s and we are currently supporting 122 university

scholars. The TfS Eye Care Outreach, led by two Sudanese women ophthalmologists, one Christian and

one Muslim, works with marginalised people, including men and children, and is another of our very

popular projects. Our Vocation and Technical Training project includes both male and female students,

giving preference to women. This month 20 new women’s literacy classes are being set up in the

Khartoum suburbs but our training

project for teachers in “self help”

basic schools outside Khartoum

urgently needs funding. Our very

sought-after HIV AIDs Awareness

project is currently dark in the

Khartoum displaced areas as key

members of the team have gone to

South Sudan where they hope to

continue this vitally important work

with our support.

MEANWHILE we are already active

in JUBA, capital of South Sudan,

although, due to very high costs, we

do not yet have a base there. The

TfS South Sudan effort is being

headed by Victor, a South Sudanese

colleague who worked with us for

several years in Khartoum. Our

University Scholarship project for

women and our HIV/AIDS Outreach work is now active there. We have already provided training for 35

aids workers and are negotiating for funding to put three outreach teams into the field. Other projects

will evolve as needs dictate and it may be possible to reactivate the Solar Lighting project which was very

popular in South Kordofan and is vital to both study and medical emergencies in many areas without

electricity.

But for all this to happen, your help is critically important. The TfS elementary education project is

currently dark in both north and south. Meanwhile, funding is also needed for projects which will evolve

in both north and south in parallel with need. With your support all of Together for Sudan’s life

enhancing projects can become active again and new projects evolve.

THANK YOU for helping the women and children of Sudan and South Sudan!

W

Training course at the TfS base in Khartoum for

30 basic school teachers.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.together for sudan.org

With appreciation for your steadfast loyalty and generous support for our work.

Please do consider whether you can help further – see details on the back page of this newsletter for your

contributions.

If you would prefer to receive this newsletter by email, please send your email address to Adrian

Thomas, our newsletter trustee: newsletter@togetherforsudan.org

Current Project Status Report from TfS colleagues in Sudan and South Sudan

* University Scholarships: We continue to supporting existing students in Sudan and Juba No funds for new intakes

* Women Literacy Project: 20 new teachers trained this year; 400 new students being enrolled Funded in Khartoum IDP areas

* Teacher Training & Support: We continue to face huge demand which we cannot meet No funds in prospect

* Schooling for AIDS orphans: Suffers lack of regular funding - orphans’ schooling constantly interrupted Trickle funding only available

* Vocational Training: Restricted programme underway, but huge demand Limited funding to 2013

* Solar lighting Nuba Mts: TFS and other NGOs barred from Nuba Mountains Some funding still available

* Eye Care Outreach: Many thousands of people successfully treated Sudan funding running out

* HIV/AIDS Awareness: Not active in Sudan; better prospects in South Sudan Bid submitted for Juba

WE DON’T ‘DO’ ADVOCACY. In responses to recent events some of our supporters are

asking what Together for Sudan is doing to influence the governments involved in the stand-

off. But Together for Sudan does not do advocacy. The philosophy behind Together for

Sudan’s approach is to respond to what Sudanese people, North & South, say they need –

which is practical help for education, including literacy classes, and related support such as

eye care and HIV/AIDS awareness training.

Advocacy is a vital role but not our forte. We have neither the resources nor the skills in

depth required. Special pleading would have little effect on the authorities in the

circumstances that our displaced clients find themselves in currently.

Neither do we wish to fall foul of political manoeuvrings and thus pass up the opportunity to

ease pain and suffering or provide hope and opportunity where we can.

Lillian Craig Harris OBE

Director

VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.together for sudan.org

* Please delete

as appropriate

Gifting support to Together for Sudan

UK Charity Registration No. 1075852

POWER TO THE POWERLESS THROUGH EDUCATION Please help TfS with its Educational, HIV-AIDS and Eye Care projects which have empowered thousands of

Sudanese women and children, who are suffering the effects of war and poverty. We believe in building

peace through service: your donation is vital! Thank you for considering Together for Sudan for your

charitable giving:

Donors: You can help us even more if you can make your donation tax efficient by

filling in the Gift Aid section of this form below. If you have already filled in a Gift Aid

form for us just complete your name and address (or email) and we will send you an

acknowledgement. To set up a regular Bank Standing Order payment please contact our UK Treasurer

(details below)

Donors: Dollar checks should be made out to Friends Together for Sudan. Donations

are tax deductible and may be sent to FTFS, 4641 23rd Street N, Arlington, VA 22207.

Our tax identification number is: 26-4820930. For payment direct to our US bank please

contact jackileighw@gmail.com - or by post to the above US address.

ANYONE may donate by CREDIT or DEBIT CARD by going to this web address:

www.togetherforsudan.org/donate.aspx

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Name of Charity: Together for Sudan

Details of donor

……………… …………………….....................…………… [Mr/Mrs/Ms, etc] Name

Address………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………

.........……………………… Post Code ..........…………………

Email: ...........................................................................................

* I enclose a donation of £………………………….

Gift Aid:

* I have already sent you a Gift Aid declaration.

* I want the charity to treat this sum as a Gift Aid donation.

* I want the charity to treat all donations that I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations.

* delete as applicable continued >>

>> Gift Aid continued

I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax for each tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities (and community amateur sports clubs) that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give on or after 6 April 2008.

Signed: …………………………………………………

Date: Please notify us if you:

• Want to cancel this declaration

• Change your name or home address

• No longer pay sufficient tax on your income and/or capital gains.

If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self Assessment tax return or ask HM Revenue and Customs to adjust your tax code.

When completed please send this form to the Together for Sudan treasurer: Norman Swanney 33 Balmoral Road Trowbridge BA14 0JS United Kingdom Email: treasurer@togetherforsudan.org

Data Protection – we never pass your personal details to a third party

UK

US

Donation & Gift Aid UK