Some of the Together for Sudan University Graduates have recently written letters of appreciation and thanks for the support that they received in gaining and passing their University courses. They are all very grateful for the opportunity of making a difference to Sudan and improving the lives of those around them. See their words on our website.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Furniture Found
Better news from Kadugli in that some of the furniture looted from the TFS office on 21 June has been returned, thanks primarily to good local police work. But the eye care microscope and solar panels are still missing. However the situation in the town is still too insecure to permit the office to resume work. Let us pray that the holy month of Ramadan, which is about to begin, will ease the tensions there.
All in the day’s work for Dr Nabila
We have just received reports on two eye care outreaches held earlier this month, in a poor suburb of Omdurman and the North Khartoum district of Haj Yousif. In all 229 patients were seen, 17 operations recommended, 30 pairs of glasses distributed and over 100 patients received eye drops or other medicines. All in the day’s work for Dr Nabila but what a busy two days!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
A start to fundraising in the USA.
With pending, and now achieved, federal permission to fundraise in the United States, Friends Together for Sudan has made a giant step forward. Already Alan and I have lectured about Sudan and the work of Together for Sudan at Malloy College in New York and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Mclean, Virginia. And Alan did a splendid job informing American Friends of the Episcopal Church in Sudan about Sudanese history and present difficulties facing the Sudanese people. It took two years for Friends Together for Sudan to gain official approval to introduce itself in the US, but now here we are all dressed up and looking for more opportunities to spread the word.
Give us a call at this address or email us at lilliancharris@gmail.co, or afglch@verizon.net.
Give us a call at this address or email us at lilliancharris@gmail.co, or afglch@verizon.net.
Monday, June 27, 2011
TfS Colleagues Go South
Together for Sudan’s friends and trustees join TfS field workers in mourning the loss of three colleagues who have decided to leave for South Sudan as a result of the 9 July division of Sudan into two countries. Deputy Country Coordinator Victor has already left for Juba and accountant Minalla and Messenger/cleaner Rina plan to leave as soon as transportation is available. Our sadness at the loss of these valued friends and co-workers is overwhelming. I ask the one God of Christians and Muslims to comfort, guide and protect all our Sudanese coworkers and supporters at this time of enormous change and uncertainty.
TfS Kadugli Office Looted
Under pretext of an imminent air raid, TfS office guard Nazar was warned by soldiers to leave the Kadugli office. When he returned some time later he found the office stripped of computers, furniture, safe, files and all other moveable equipment. Most other NGO and INGO offices had already been looted. We are enormously grateful to Nazar for staying at his post as long as possible despite the threatening situation.
The Nuba People return to war
Together for Sudan’s office in Kadugli has been closed since early June following an outbreak of heavy fighting in South Kordofan between government forces and the Nuba peole. TfS Field Coordinator Ibrahim was evacuated by UNIMIS with other INGO Forum personnel and subsequently reunited with his family in Wad Medani. He will work from our Khartoum office for the time being. Kawther, a TfS university graduate, who was volunteering in the Kadugli office and Fatima, our cleaner/messenger have also reached safe haven. Fighting continues
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Going Mobile - Text a Donation
From today you will be able to text a donation to Together for Sudan using your mobile phone. This great little innovation makes donating easier than ever before. We receive the whole amount of your donation and if eligible we can also receive Gift Aid from your donation.
Small amounts or large amount don't matter, please give what you can afford. The process is simple:
Small amounts or large amount don't matter, please give what you can afford. The process is simple:
- Use any mobile phone
- Send a text to 70070
- Text this message with the amount you want to give - i.e. - TFSA01 £10
- Set the value to what you want to give
- Agree to Gift Aid if applicable
It's that easy. Please make a donation to our work and help us do more in Sudan.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Yoga Challenge Update
We are delighted to let you know that two of our young supporters are undertaking the yoga equivalent of running a marathon in aid of the disadvantaged women of Sudan!
Melinda Bates and Hannah Mitchel (Mel and Han) have set themselves the challenge to practise Bikram Yoga for 30 consecutive days - and all to raise funds for Together for Sudan
Mel and Han are already twenty days into this incredible challenge which will end on the 22nd April! They are going strong and are absolutely committed to complete it for such a worthwhile cause.
For those of you who are not so familiar with what Bikram Yoga entails - Bikram Yoga is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury, consisting of a series of 26 postures carried out in a heated room that is 40 degrees C, each class lasting 90 minutes!
At the moment they are just over 50% towards their £1,000 fundraising target. It would be terrific if you could help encourage Mel and Han to complete their goal - please do go to their page at our fundraising website:
www.justgiving.com/Melinda-Hannah
Many thanks from all of us at
Together for Sudan
Melinda Bates and Hannah Mitchel (Mel and Han) have set themselves the challenge to practise Bikram Yoga for 30 consecutive days - and all to raise funds for Together for Sudan
Mel and Han are already twenty days into this incredible challenge which will end on the 22nd April! They are going strong and are absolutely committed to complete it for such a worthwhile cause.
For those of you who are not so familiar with what Bikram Yoga entails - Bikram Yoga is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury, consisting of a series of 26 postures carried out in a heated room that is 40 degrees C, each class lasting 90 minutes!
At the moment they are just over 50% towards their £1,000 fundraising target. It would be terrific if you could help encourage Mel and Han to complete their goal - please do go to their page at our fundraising website:
www.justgiving.com/Melinda-Hannah
Many thanks from all of us at
Together for Sudan
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Yoga Challenge to Raise Funds for TfS
We (Mel and Han) have set ourselves the challenge to Practice Bikram Yoga for 30 consecutive days in aid of ‘Together For Sudan’.
For those of you who are not so familiar with what Bikram Yoga entails - Bikram Yoga is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury and which consists of a series of 26 postures carried out in a heated room that is 40C, each class lasting 90 minutes! We will be starting on the 23rd March and ending on the 22nd April! This will be challenging both mentally and physically for us, but we are absolutely dedicated and committed for such a worthwhile cause.
So dig deep everyone and get Sponsoring!
Click here to make a donation on Mel and Han's Just Giving web page
For those of you who are not so familiar with what Bikram Yoga entails - Bikram Yoga is a style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury and which consists of a series of 26 postures carried out in a heated room that is 40C, each class lasting 90 minutes! We will be starting on the 23rd March and ending on the 22nd April! This will be challenging both mentally and physically for us, but we are absolutely dedicated and committed for such a worthwhile cause.
So dig deep everyone and get Sponsoring!
Click here to make a donation on Mel and Han's Just Giving web page
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Our 2010 Annual Report and Accounts
The Charity Commission has acknowledged receipt of our Annual Report & Accounts for the year ended 31 Dec 2010. This completes the trustees' statutory duties for 2010. Phew what a relief !
If you're interested in seeing our report for Together for Sudan's activities coupled with our accounts for the same period look no further. A copy is here to view and share. It can be printed and saved for deeper reading. As you will see this year was not easy but showed that there is still faith in the work of Together for Sudan and much still to do. Make a donation online today and help us reach our 2011 goals. Donate to Together for Sudan online here
If you're interested in seeing our report for Together for Sudan's activities coupled with our accounts for the same period look no further. A copy is here to view and share. It can be printed and saved for deeper reading. As you will see this year was not easy but showed that there is still faith in the work of Together for Sudan and much still to do. Make a donation online today and help us reach our 2011 goals. Donate to Together for Sudan online here
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Good News This Week
After nearly two years of discussion with various US authorities, our sister charity, Friends Together for Sudan, has all the necessary permissions to start work. It is incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia, recognized by the Internal revenue Service as having tax-exempt status and licensed by the Office of Foreign assets Control of the US Treasury to work in Sudan in partnership with Together for Sudan. So our friends in the US can now make their donations to FTFS and claim the full tax relief allowed by US law.
Checks can be made out to Friends Together for Sudan and sent to FTFS, 2515 N Lincoln Street, Arlington VA 22207, USA.
We are very grateful to our American friends for this initiative and look forward to fruitful cooperation with them to expand our work, especially in the Nuba Mountains.
From Alan 29/1/11
Checks can be made out to Friends Together for Sudan and sent to FTFS, 2515 N Lincoln Street, Arlington VA 22207, USA.
We are very grateful to our American friends for this initiative and look forward to fruitful cooperation with them to expand our work, especially in the Nuba Mountains.
From Alan 29/1/11
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
SUDAN AT A TIME OF GREAT STRESS AND GREATER HOPE
This is a difficult time for everyone in Sudan as well as for Sudanese abroad and people who know and love the Sudanese – northerners as well as southerners, easterners and westerners. Understanding and compassion is needed for all Sudanese as the referendum voting continues and as they face a new and uncertain future in its aftermath.
There are many concerns but among them is the plight of thousands of southerners who have congregated on the outskirts of Khartoum in the belief that their journey south would be facilitated by government, international or church efforts. This is not apparently happening sufficiently and major health and security issues could develop.
Together for Sudan has lost two of our five key colleagues in the Khartoum office. One hopes to return after the referendum but may not be able to do so. Nonetheless, we are determined to carry on as a charity dedicated to helping, in particular, women and children who are marginalized and in need of education. But major adjustments seem to lie ahead.
TfS remains dedicated to Sudan and to its multi-cultured and worthy people. At this difficult time of enormous change we hold hope for the Sudanese people and ask God to guide and protect them.
May peace and justice prevail,
Lillian Craig Harris
Director, Together for Sudan
There are many concerns but among them is the plight of thousands of southerners who have congregated on the outskirts of Khartoum in the belief that their journey south would be facilitated by government, international or church efforts. This is not apparently happening sufficiently and major health and security issues could develop.
Together for Sudan has lost two of our five key colleagues in the Khartoum office. One hopes to return after the referendum but may not be able to do so. Nonetheless, we are determined to carry on as a charity dedicated to helping, in particular, women and children who are marginalized and in need of education. But major adjustments seem to lie ahead.
TfS remains dedicated to Sudan and to its multi-cultured and worthy people. At this difficult time of enormous change we hold hope for the Sudanese people and ask God to guide and protect them.
May peace and justice prevail,
Lillian Craig Harris
Director, Together for Sudan
A Response to Hunger and Courage
Without giving away any names or information I would just like to say that the educational needs of David and Tony have been met and I am enormously grateful that this has happened. Together for Sudan is
grateful for every donation that we receive, whether for a specific project or for our general funds that allow us the flexibility to help people such as David and Tony in this way. These two now have a chance at a future that they did not have before.
grateful for every donation that we receive, whether for a specific project or for our general funds that allow us the flexibility to help people such as David and Tony in this way. These two now have a chance at a future that they did not have before.
Friday, January 07, 2011
HUNGER AND COURAGE IN KHARTOUM SHANTY TOWNS
A December monitoring report on ten elementary schools in the deserts outside Khartum brought me to tears. In each of these schools TfS is paying salaries for two teachers and offering teacher training to all teachers. In return the schools – which are as poor and shabby as a school can get – allow ten HIV/AIDS affected children to study free. If you think this isn’t much on either side you are right. But little is better than nothing when you live on the edge of life. Listen to this:
I have asked our Khartoum office to let me know the costs of school fees for Tony and David, two courageous and determined young people who are being pulled down by poverty and the effect of HIV/AIDS on their families. Would someone who reads this please help me help them?
See our scholarship project for AIDS affected Children
If you would like to help click here to send TfS a message
Lillian. 6 January 2011.
A December monitoring report on ten elementary schools in the deserts outside Khartum brought me to tears. In each of these schools TfS is paying salaries for two teachers and offering teacher training to all teachers. In return the schools – which are as poor and shabby as a school can get – allow ten HIV/AIDS affected children to study free. If you think this isn’t much on either side you are right. But little is better than nothing when you live on the edge of life. Listen to this:
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| Living on the edge ! |
Most of the 223 students at Equatorial School in Mayo are southerners but have remained in northern Sudan as they have no means to travel south. Among them are five orphaned brothers and many other children whose parents or guardians have died of AIDS. Another student, Tony, is 17, in grade 8 and interested in studying. However, as his father is dead and his mother “does not care for him” (I quote the monitoring report) he is homeless and sleeps on the street. The headmaster of Equatorial School asks TfS if we can pay Tony’s school fees next year if he fails this year, as seems probable. Our monitor could only reply that TfS, too, is uncertain of next year funding.
As I read this monitoring report today, several other tragic situations stood out, one in particular at Salama School in Khartoum South. David, age 18 and also in grade 8, is an orphan. He has two elder brothers and one younger sister and is dedicated to continuing his studies but is unable to pay tuition fees. This means that he will not be eligible to sit for the state basic school examination in March. More critically at the moment, according to the head master, David comes to school with no shoes, is often sick (faints) because of hunger and sometimes does not show up because he has no bus fare and, of course, no money to buy food. The head master wept as he described the tenacity of a boy who longs to be educated and may not make it, adding that there are many students like this but David’s situation stands out.
I have asked our Khartoum office to let me know the costs of school fees for Tony and David, two courageous and determined young people who are being pulled down by poverty and the effect of HIV/AIDS on their families. Would someone who reads this please help me help them?
See our scholarship project for AIDS affected Children
If you would like to help click here to send TfS a message
Lillian. 6 January 2011.
VOLUNTEER SUPPORT!
Together for Sudan was born out of volunteerism. Other that our full time TfS colleagues in Khartoum and Kadugli, all TfS supporters and trustees are volunteers. In particular, we depend on volunteers to help us fundraise. Recently something very heartwarming happened.
In November 2010, Paul, a graduate student at Oxford University in England, volunteered to research foundations and corporate programmes which might be interested in supporting TfS. This was excellent news, especially as Paul further agreed to advise us on possibilities of using social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter to publicise our work to the younger generation. This in itself was enormously satisfying but then almost immediately a second volunteer showed up, this time a woman.
In December Rasha, a young Syrian working temporarily in Khartoum, asked if she could help TfS in some way. Country Coordinator Neimat was delighted to send Rasha out to monitor the ten schools on the outskirts of Khartoum where our Teacher Training and Scholarships for HIV/AIDS Orphans are functioning.
Next -- and the sequence seems almost too good to be true – in late December an Iranian-American senior at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., heard about TfS. Amin and his friends did some fundraising in the school cafeteria and this week presented me with $55 for Together for Sudan!
By now, of course, I would not be surprised if other volunteers contact us from Cape Town or Budapest! So please don’t wait! We’re on a roll!
Lillian. 6 January 2011
In November 2010, Paul, a graduate student at Oxford University in England, volunteered to research foundations and corporate programmes which might be interested in supporting TfS. This was excellent news, especially as Paul further agreed to advise us on possibilities of using social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter to publicise our work to the younger generation. This in itself was enormously satisfying but then almost immediately a second volunteer showed up, this time a woman.
In December Rasha, a young Syrian working temporarily in Khartoum, asked if she could help TfS in some way. Country Coordinator Neimat was delighted to send Rasha out to monitor the ten schools on the outskirts of Khartoum where our Teacher Training and Scholarships for HIV/AIDS Orphans are functioning.
Next -- and the sequence seems almost too good to be true – in late December an Iranian-American senior at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., heard about TfS. Amin and his friends did some fundraising in the school cafeteria and this week presented me with $55 for Together for Sudan!
By now, of course, I would not be surprised if other volunteers contact us from Cape Town or Budapest! So please don’t wait! We’re on a roll!
Lillian. 6 January 2011
Monday, January 03, 2011
Dr Nabila - Combating Blindness with Love and Persistence
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| Dr Nabila Radi |
Some of my cousins from the southern part of the United States refer to family reunions as opportunities for us to “love on” each other. This is an appropriate description of the work of Sudanese ophthalmologist Dr. Nabila Radi, “mother” of Together for Sudan’s enormously popular Eye Care Outreach. Begun in the squatter settlements outside Khartoum in 2002, this project has benefitted thousands of people, including changing the lives of hundreds by cataract removal. Since September 2006 the TfS Eye Care Project has also been working in the Nuba Mountains where it has been funded through Together for Sudan by the Austrian charity Light for the World.
Dr. Nabila’s concern for destitute, displaced and outcast people is at the heart of the Eye Care outreach. Now widely praised, the project has benefitted thousands of poor and destitute
adults and children, many of whom had not previously seen a medical doctor. Without Dr. Nabila’s ability to recognize illness and disease, I’m certain that many more displaced Sudanese, including children, would have died. Since this Together for Sudan project began I have often trailed around behind Dr. Nabila, usually in the wretched squatter settlements outside Khartoum, and understood from the start that she never does things half way. But before that I, too, was a “blind” person and she had to nag me for at least two years before I gave in.
“Together for Sudan is an educational charity, not a medical charity,” I used to tell Dr. Nabila when she urged me to set up an eye care outreach. “We have to specialize because we can’t do everything.” Her reply was swift: “So how are people going to learn to read when they can’t see?”
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
A Christmas Exchange
Lillian the Director of Together for Sudan sent a Christmas message to the hardworking TfS Centre staff. Read it and the heart warming reply below.
Dear Neimat,
Alan and I ask that you give our greetings and the hope for blessings at Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our Together for Sudan colleagues, including those in the Nuba Mountains. This has been an extraordinary year filled with opportunities and challenges, problems and achievements. The biggest achievement is that we are still going and still going strong. The US government has, for example, just agreed that we may begin fundraising here. Given all the difficulties and opposition which we have faced, this seems something of a miracle. And I am deeply grateful to you all for your ongoing loyalty to Together for Sudan during this time of tension and financial difficulty.
On behalf of the Together for Sudan trustees I send you our love and greetings and much gratitude for the dedicated work which TfS colleagues in both Khartoum and Kadugli have provided. Without your cooperation and hard work Together for Sudan would no longer exist. Relying on our Sudanese colleagues we can continue to reach out to people who are displaced, marginalized, illiterate and, in some cases, needing hope to keep on living. It is a blessing and a privilege for us to work with you and through you with them.
May God continue to bless and keep you in 2011. This coming period in Sudan’s history will be difficult for us all, in particular for those of you on the front line of caring and helping. Be assured of our prayers and may God give your strength and wisdom. It is my hope and expectation that the work of Together for Sudan will enable more people to understand that Muslims and Christians can successfully work together in service to people in need. This is a path to understanding, reconciliation and friendship which will help make our world a better place for us all. I ask God to protect you all at this time of tension and change in Sudan.
Thank you, Neimat, for sharing this message with all our colleagues in Khartoum and Kadugli.
With much appreciation for your leadership,
Lillian
Dear Lillian,
Many thanks for your wishes to staff for Christmas and New Year. We return the blessing wishes to you and Alan hoping for a brighter future to Together for Sudan under your guidance and leadership.
It is good news that the US government has agreed that TfS may begin fundraising in USA and we pray that God will give us all the strength to continue supporting the work of TfS and keep us here all safe in this difficult time of stress and complexity.
We are all appreciating your encouraging words in this letter and feeling that there are people who care after us, pray for us and wish all the best for us. The staff felt happy when I read your message to them. Your words had a great comfortable impact on the staff including Ibrahim in Kadugli when I passed some words from the message to him through the telephone.
Thank you very much for this message which comes at a time when the TfS staff and all people in Sudan need such spiritual support.
I am attaching our Christmas card wishing you and Alan all the best for 2011.
Regards, Neimat -- with greetings from all the staff
Dear Neimat,
Alan and I ask that you give our greetings and the hope for blessings at Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our Together for Sudan colleagues, including those in the Nuba Mountains. This has been an extraordinary year filled with opportunities and challenges, problems and achievements. The biggest achievement is that we are still going and still going strong. The US government has, for example, just agreed that we may begin fundraising here. Given all the difficulties and opposition which we have faced, this seems something of a miracle. And I am deeply grateful to you all for your ongoing loyalty to Together for Sudan during this time of tension and financial difficulty.
On behalf of the Together for Sudan trustees I send you our love and greetings and much gratitude for the dedicated work which TfS colleagues in both Khartoum and Kadugli have provided. Without your cooperation and hard work Together for Sudan would no longer exist. Relying on our Sudanese colleagues we can continue to reach out to people who are displaced, marginalized, illiterate and, in some cases, needing hope to keep on living. It is a blessing and a privilege for us to work with you and through you with them.
May God continue to bless and keep you in 2011. This coming period in Sudan’s history will be difficult for us all, in particular for those of you on the front line of caring and helping. Be assured of our prayers and may God give your strength and wisdom. It is my hope and expectation that the work of Together for Sudan will enable more people to understand that Muslims and Christians can successfully work together in service to people in need. This is a path to understanding, reconciliation and friendship which will help make our world a better place for us all. I ask God to protect you all at this time of tension and change in Sudan.
Thank you, Neimat, for sharing this message with all our colleagues in Khartoum and Kadugli.
With much appreciation for your leadership,
Lillian
Dear Lillian,
Many thanks for your wishes to staff for Christmas and New Year. We return the blessing wishes to you and Alan hoping for a brighter future to Together for Sudan under your guidance and leadership.
It is good news that the US government has agreed that TfS may begin fundraising in USA and we pray that God will give us all the strength to continue supporting the work of TfS and keep us here all safe in this difficult time of stress and complexity.
We are all appreciating your encouraging words in this letter and feeling that there are people who care after us, pray for us and wish all the best for us. The staff felt happy when I read your message to them. Your words had a great comfortable impact on the staff including Ibrahim in Kadugli when I passed some words from the message to him through the telephone.
Thank you very much for this message which comes at a time when the TfS staff and all people in Sudan need such spiritual support.
I am attaching our Christmas card wishing you and Alan all the best for 2011.
Regards, Neimat -- with greetings from all the staff
Friday, December 10, 2010
December 2010 Newsletter is Now Available
Following a short visit to Sudan and taking pains to visit the Nuba Mountains Lillian the director of Together for Sudan has produced a newsletter detailing our work and progress in Sudan. View a copy of the December Newsletter through our Issuu web account where you can zoom in, share and print our latest newsletter.
Get it from our blog, Facebook page, twitter page, our website or simply the link below.
TfS December Newsletter
Enjoy - Dave
Get it from our blog, Facebook page, twitter page, our website or simply the link below.
TfS December Newsletter
Enjoy - Dave
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Still 1 Goal - Education for All
The World Cup may have ended but our commitment has not.
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| Schooling matters |
Together for Sudan puts a huge amount of importance on its’ education projects, the needs of children and teachers in displaced communities and the rural communities of the Nuba mountains are considerable.
One of the founding principles of Together for Sudan is to listen to what the people we serve say that they need. Time and time again the request is for education.
Listening we have acted and providing education for those who would not otherwise be able to have it has become a major feature of our work. Together for Sudan provides support for funding the schooling of children who have been affected by HIV or AIDS.
The knock on effect of a child’s parents having died of AIDS can often leave them living with relatives that cannot afford to pay for their education. Children in this situation go without unless we step in.
It is only by your kind donations that we can step in when needed and provide the aid and support that is needed so much. Please donate to our ongoing work through this link : Donate online here
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| Children deserve education to help guarentee them a future |
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