Wandering On

for those of you who didn't get my latest news in the mail....

I should have known that the minute the newsletter of my future uncertainties hit your mailbox I was bound to get a revelation for what I’m doing next. For months I’ve been without a plan, sowing seeds of hope and interest and wandering in what has felt like a thick fog. I’m happy to report, however, that the cloud has finally moved and it seems that I’ve found some firm footing for the next step.

Yes, my friends, for all of you who’ve been waiting to hear… I know where I’m going next! I have a job! I have a plan! Wandering Zito shall be wandering on.

I’ve accepted a contract job with an organization called World Relief to work in the county of Sudan for 6 months in the position of communications officer. While this isn’t exactly a lifelong plan in our perspective, living among the people of West Darfur could be a once in a lifetime experience.

Things are moving fast, and I will be leaving the country on April 27. So without further ado, here’s a little primer on what I’ll be doing in Sudn and how you can keep in touch with me while I’m away.

For the geographically challenged, Sudan is Africa’s largest country, equivalent in landmass to the entirety of Western Europe, and located just south of Egypt. Topping off the superlative-ness of its size, it is no secret that the country has been home to one of the longest running and most complicated civil wars which has produced one of the greatest population of refugees.

If you’ve managed to catch a glimpse of Sudan in the news lately somewhere between the Michael Jackson hearing, the semi-royal wedding, and the last days of Terri Schaivo, you may be aware that it is still a pretty crazy place. A simple google search of "Darfur Sudan" will give you more information than you could ever possibly comprehend about all the complex things going on in this region.

World Relief is a relief and development organization based in Baltimore ( www.wr.org) which does some amazing work around the world. I’m mostly familiar with World Relief from my visit to one of their project sites in Sierra Leone. In Sudan, World Relief is working in a coalition with 5 other humanitarian aid agencies to work with refugees who have been displaced from this crisis.

Based in a town in West Darfur approximately 30 km from the border of the country of Chad The World Relief/DRC team is working to provide relief services to benefit 35,000 people in 3 areas. The projects include working to supply food and nutritional care to children, nursing and pregnant women, to provide clean drinking water, to prevent disease through improved sanitation, health and hygiene, and to help the refugees survive through agricultural and livelihood assistance.

My job on the team will be to serve as the Communication Officer. While I’m not exactly sure of all that will entail, my primary responsibilities will include communicating. Of course, flexibility and adaptability are the primary job responsibilities of anyone working in Africa, and I’m quite certain that I will learn a lot more about what I will actually be doing when I get there.

What I expect for the advenuter resonates in the words I repeat to myself as I plan for my departure “figure on the worst, and hope for the best.” From the pre-departure information I’ve gathered, the conditions I’ll be living in have been best described as “primitive”. Last week in Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, the temperature climbed to 106 f- a temperature that makes you want to take your clothes off, in a culture that demands as much of you be covered as possible.

Although many organizations are working in the area where I’ll be based, I’ve been warned that there is little social life, practically no fellowship, only a few other westerners, tight security restraints, and little independence. Moving to the desert with a handful of others after 5 years on the sea with a ship full of people couldn’t be more polar opposites. Yet despite all this, I’m excited to go, and know that it will be an amazing opportunity for this short season.

Going into this difficult situation, my need for my time in Sudan is your prayer! I will be sending out news and updates of how you ca n pray for me, and all you have to do is
email pray4zito@gmail.comand you will receive all of the details. (Be sure email even if you are someone I email all the time because this list is being created from scratch by someone else for me- and send your name as well if you have a wierd email). If you do not have email , then you are probably not reading this blog, but never fear, you can also get all of this by snail mail if you so desire.

You can still contact me through my email addresses as usual, and I will check them periodically when I have internet access- the frequency of which has yet to be determined. And of course, I will also continue to try to post things on my blog which you obviously have already discovered.