It is well past midnight. The morning papers are being delivered to distribution outlets for early morning risers. The streets of this city of 5.5 million are completely deserted and streetlights cast their beams on a city of silence. Businesses are closed tight and not even a spot of light radiates from the rolling metal doors that conceal the shops. This is Khartoum after 11:00 pm any night of the week. Only the rare red tail lights of cars coming from the airport are visible. No headlights as drivers leave their headlights off at night except to give signals to other drivers to get our of their way.
We have just said good bye to three of the Four Westerners - Nancy, Helen and Kim. The first stage of our visit to Sudan is over and now they leave to rejoin with their families and colleagues back in Canada, full of new experiences, emotions, learnings and wonderful new friends.
But today was not without its own adventures. A meeting this morning with a group of YMCA volunteers and staff in a remote part of the city who are providing a unique and well used service to the community in which they exist. This is a school for adults and it has had its own experiences with ups and downs over the years as it has tried to exist. Today just coincidently happened to be their graduation ceremony, so 20 or so students graduated and received their certificates. We learned much about how a group of dedicated teachers have made a significant impact on the quality of life in their community.
Following a video Skype call late this afternoon for us but at 9:00 am back in Sudbury, we visited the Khartoum YMCA Young Adult school in downtown Khartoum. Here over 1,000 students a year in a school supported by the YMCA's of Northern Ontario receive an education that will prepare them for a job. YMCA schools are well respected in Khartoum and employers have been known to state that a YMCA education certificate will get you a good paying job better than a university diploma. This school has been operating for close to 20 years and has directly enhanced the lives of close to 20,000 Sudanese of all religions, all colours and both sexes during this time. Personal health and HIV/AIDS education is a standard part of all programs.
After supper, we headed off to a traditional Sudanese wedding which seemed to be a favorite activity for well over 1000 persons who attended to give well wishes to the bride and groom. Then it was off to the airport to say our good byes.
Stay tuned for more about the impact of this visit.
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