On Wednesday this past week, my soccer team (Don Bosco Senior Club) had a meeting with Brother Issac, one of the Salesians here in Gumbo who is in charge of the youth center. Br. Issac came to Gumbo a few months back, and has been meeting with the various parish organizations to see what they expect from him and what he expects from them.
The meeting was long – not only did it go on for two and a half hours, but it was conducted completely in Arabic. Since I have only been learning Arabic for about six weeks, it is fair to say I did not understand any of the main content being discussed. However, from hearing the tone of meeting and “mushkila” (the Arabic word for problem) repeated over and over again, I could tell that the two sides were not seeing things the same way. I felt caught in the middle, being a member of both the team and the Salesian community, but I did not even know what was happening. I am not sure what the meetings were like with the other groups, but I’m fairly sure ours was unique. Much of that can likely be attributed to the dynamic of our team. While some members of the team are students in the Don Bosco Schools here, many of the players are young adults of the parish who work during the day. It is in no way bad that they are part of the team and participating in the youth center, but they are not particularly the “youth” that the Salesians focus on.
Anyway, I talked to Br. Issac afterwards and asked what the meeting was about He said the main discussion was the team feeling like the youth center was not supporting them enough. Some examples included not having proper equipment (nets and balls) and not having transportation to away games. However, from Br. Issac’s perspective, the team is more than capable of supporting themselves, but the “mushkila” is their mindset. They are used to having everything given to them, and for good reason. During the civil war that devastated this country just a few years ago, NGO’s provided everything to the people, since they could not get it anywhere else. However, now that South Sudan is a new, albeit developing country, people are still adapting to what their “new life” is like. Br. Issac said that their mindsets need to change, and that the Salesians are a religious order to help, not an NGO to give.
Though the players were not thrilled with Br. Issac, and several questions were left unanswered, his message was received and taken in the end. After practice early Saturday morning, the captains each took turns addressing the team. Translated to me after by one of the guys, they announced they were collecting 30 South Sudanese Pounds (approximately 7 USD) from each team member for the needs of the team.
The core of the Salesian sites in South Sudan is institutions of learning, including schools and vocational training centers. Part of our job as missionaries is to not just help those we serve, but to teach them to help themselves. I remember a quote from our orientation: “Missionaries should go where they are needed but not wanted and leave when they are wanted but no longer needed.” The goal here is to create a community that is able to help themselves so much so that we are no longer needed. Indeed, someday I hope we are no longer needed here in Gumbo, South Sudan.
The meeting was long – not only did it go on for two and a half hours, but it was conducted completely in Arabic. Since I have only been learning Arabic for about six weeks, it is fair to say I did not understand any of the main content being discussed. However, from hearing the tone of meeting and “mushkila” (the Arabic word for problem) repeated over and over again, I could tell that the two sides were not seeing things the same way. I felt caught in the middle, being a member of both the team and the Salesian community, but I did not even know what was happening. I am not sure what the meetings were like with the other groups, but I’m fairly sure ours was unique. Much of that can likely be attributed to the dynamic of our team. While some members of the team are students in the Don Bosco Schools here, many of the players are young adults of the parish who work during the day. It is in no way bad that they are part of the team and participating in the youth center, but they are not particularly the “youth” that the Salesians focus on.
Anyway, I talked to Br. Issac afterwards and asked what the meeting was about He said the main discussion was the team feeling like the youth center was not supporting them enough. Some examples included not having proper equipment (nets and balls) and not having transportation to away games. However, from Br. Issac’s perspective, the team is more than capable of supporting themselves, but the “mushkila” is their mindset. They are used to having everything given to them, and for good reason. During the civil war that devastated this country just a few years ago, NGO’s provided everything to the people, since they could not get it anywhere else. However, now that South Sudan is a new, albeit developing country, people are still adapting to what their “new life” is like. Br. Issac said that their mindsets need to change, and that the Salesians are a religious order to help, not an NGO to give.
Though the players were not thrilled with Br. Issac, and several questions were left unanswered, his message was received and taken in the end. After practice early Saturday morning, the captains each took turns addressing the team. Translated to me after by one of the guys, they announced they were collecting 30 South Sudanese Pounds (approximately 7 USD) from each team member for the needs of the team.
The core of the Salesian sites in South Sudan is institutions of learning, including schools and vocational training centers. Part of our job as missionaries is to not just help those we serve, but to teach them to help themselves. I remember a quote from our orientation: “Missionaries should go where they are needed but not wanted and leave when they are wanted but no longer needed.” The goal here is to create a community that is able to help themselves so much so that we are no longer needed. Indeed, someday I hope we are no longer needed here in Gumbo, South Sudan.
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