In the last entry I did not mention the town in which I will be living. The town is called Ikotos and it is in the extreme south, bordering Northern Uganda and Kenya. Most of the truck traffic is from Uganda. Kenya is 150 miles away (and a 5 hour drive!). For up-to-date information on Sudan, go to news.bbc.co.uk or to the CIA Factbook link. As of late, Southern Sudan is safe to be in. Ikotos is far from its northwest neighbor that has made the news: Darfur. Although, Juba, where most of the "lost boys" come from, is close to where I'll be. Fortunately, most of that is now cleared up. The school in which I will be working is new and as of now, I do not know which grade I will be teaching. There was a choice of primary or secondary levels and I left it open to need. Right now I'm working with 3rd through 5th graders and I love that, but I also have taught and currently volunteer with teenagers, which I also love.
*also, note that I have added an email address for you to contact me.
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About Me
- Meghan Baird
- EMAIL ME, meghanmsbaird@gmail.com
- I have just finished teaching in Ikotos, Southern Sudan, East Africa for a year. Currently, I am in Graduate school for Community Counseling, and plan to return to Africa (Kuria, Kenya) in February '09. I am quite pleased that the global community responded to the need for education in Sudan, by financially and spiritually supporting me. THANK YOU. Just a little background about myself: I am originally from Bowie, MD. I have a B.F.A. in Fine Arts from Shepherd College and a B.A. in International Studies/Africa from West Virginia University. I went to Mali, W.Africa in 2003 for a month for graduate study and that sparked my passion for the people in Africa who's voices are ignored or overshadowed in pop-culture. I spent a year in Sudan to teach, but to also do research on the mental health issues of people who are dealing with post-traumatic stress. While visiting different missionaries, one thing I realized was the need for counseling to those who work in Africa. So that's what I plan to do in Kenya upon receiving my degree; but as of late, I am the Project Manager for Education w/ Nuru International. Join me on this journey!
Kenya
Kuria is to the right of Lake Victoria (between Uganda & Tanzania
Sudan is technically North Africa
Ikotos is on the border of Uganda
AIC Luther Secondary School
AIC Luther Senior Secondary School
Students conversing
Students @ AIC Ikotos
AIC Students
Closing Day term 3 @ AIC
Getting Water
Me pumping water at the borehole well
pre-school
We Thank YOU!
Pre-school kids
@ AIC's pre-school
Playing Football
my home was the site of many a footaball game
homemade creations
kids in Africa make their own toys. This kid made a kite
Dancing hard
the kids and I dancing very silly during fellowship
Beat the drum
the drums are made from USAID oil cans and goat skin
drummin'
...sometimes they write or draw into the skins
USAID cans
these are the drums made from vegetable oil cans
The View
this is a view of the walk to the river in Ikotos
My Tuukel
this is the mud hut I lived in for a year.
Tuukel
a hut (tuukel) in the neighboring village of Lobwaya
The roads
this is the road to Lobwaya
Double Rainbow
it was so amazing in person
Watching the sun set over Sudan
monkeys on an AIM Air plane in Torit
March Against Gender Violence
We marched through town to spread awareness against violence
avoid guns in public places
marching in the market
me holding one of the signs from the march
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