2 Weeks in Juba

After a week of training in at the Medair Global Support Office (GSO) in Switzerland, and a day at the team house in Nairobi, I finally arrived in Juba, South Sudan. Stepping onto the tarmac at Juba airport is the near equivalent of stepping into an oven set to broil. Juba is large by South Sudanese standards, but small by comparison to other capital cities around the globe. In the southwest, a lone mountain, Djebel, is the only disruption to the otherwise flat landscape. Juba has the feeling of people hurrying. It could be due to the relentless heat, or the memory of recent war, but people generally don’t slow down until they are safely behind the walls separating most buildings and houses.

Our compound contains our team house, our office, and our warehouse. So the majority of living and working is done from within our walls. About 30 people are staying in the house, and many Medair staff members stopover there on their way to-and-from the field. It’s an incredibly international setting, with staff joining us from all over the world.  The constantly busy environment makes the compound feel more like a community than a workplace. Because of early curfews, the staff has become adept at creating entertainment- be it volleyball, movie nights in the hallways, or I’ve even heard rumors of trivia nights.

I work with the Emergency Response Team (ERT), specifically the health team. The ERT office is a hive of activity. It’s one large room with shared tables and desks. Each team has their corner: health, nutrition, WASH (Water, sanitation, and hygiene), and NFI (non-food items). My first week has been briefings with all the different programs and departments in Juba, as well as Ebola preparedness training. While at the moment there have been no cases of Ebola in South Sudan, Medair is part of overall preparedness coordination, along with other NGOs and the South Sudan Ministry of Health. So this meant training for me, and even learning donning/doffing procedures for personal protective equipment (PPE).

When we tried putting on the PPE, it was mid-afternoon, out on the roof of our compound. There was no shelter from the sun, and it was a balmy 41°C (about 106°F) as we were working. As soon as you begin putting on the suit, you begin to sweat. I was shocked at how fast it became uncomfortable. Then as you prepare to take it off (doff) there is a long process you have to follow to ensure you don’t become contaminated. So at the very moment you think you are close to being done, you have to slow down and follow the procedure to doff properly, which takes about 10 minutes, longer if you are new to the process. In the suit, you are completely sealed in, and it’s not uncommon for people to feel anxious or claustrophobic. We could pour sweat out of our gloves by the end. When I was finally free of my PPE, the 41°C atmosphere felt cool and comfortable. The process gave me so much respect for the people working in full PPE in the current DRC outbreak and in past outbreaks. Also- Minnesota side-note- I'm happy to report that I'm able to represent a MN company in my 3M-made PPE.

In my second week, I was sent off site for a security training operated by INSO. It was an excellent learning opportunity and gave me the chance to see a bit more of Juba, and meet staff from other NGOs. As I’m settling into Juba it’s nice to be meeting so many interesting people. Juba is very comfortable, besides the heat. We have a reliable power and filtered water, we even have running water for showers and taps (though it is salt water). The food is good too, most days the lunch is rice and beans, and the dinner is rice and a meat or vegetable stew. We can also cook for ourselves or go out and buy food. I’m enjoying getting to know base, but I’m still looking forward to more field work in the future.