MIAK WADANG

"MiakWadang" means "future" in the the Dinka language. Following 21 years of
civil war in southern Sudan, hope for the future is certainly a felt need for some
11 million southern Sudanese who are trying to rebuild their lives. This is the
second civil war that devasted the nation. In fact, since its independence from
Britain in 1956, the country has only experienced 7 years of peace (1976-1983).
It was during this interval of peace that the Project Lead member, Tom Fellows,
first met Austrian Dr. Herbert Bronnenmeyer. Herbert (there with his young
family) was helping S.I.M. set up a Primary Health Care Program and Tom was
constructing clinics. Both were based in Melut. .

When peace returned to southern Sudan in 2005, Herbert started making trips
back to the Melut area to reconnect with Sudanese friends and to see how he
could help. One friend that topped the list was Dr. Haruun Ruun who back in
the early 80's was General Secretary for the Sudan Interior Church. Dr. Haruun
who was educated in the States was son of a Dinka chief from the Melut area.
During the war years he served as head of the New Sudan Council of Churches
from Nairobi. Today he holds the important but difficult job as Minister of
Humanitarian Affairs in the Sudanese government.

In May this year, Miak Madang was formed in Austria and Sudan. Dr. Haruun's
wife, Mary Ruun heads up Miak Madang Sudan. The first interventions involve
providing funds for a grain mill, a water pump, fishing nets, grain and seeds to
the Dinka village of Nyeyok.

The long-term process of reconstructing this part of southern Sudan will take
considerable time and resources. Building clinics, schools, installing wells and
irrigation systems are a few of the project Miak Wadang will take on over the
coming years.