Out of Oxfordshire and into Sudan
How a Project Management Training Company used its expertise to do something practical in Africa
"Coming in to land on a dirt airstrip in Southern Sudan was like being in a TV documentary," John Edmonds, head of training at pearcemayfield said. He was taking his "first proper trip" to Africa accompanied by his grown up sons, Ben and Jacob. They were on a reconnaissance mission to assess the needs of businesses and schools in Yei, a city of approximately 40,000, and to offer practical help. When they landed and surveyed the scene, they felt overwhelmed. Years of civil war have left Yei without basic infrastructure. Although people were getting on with their lives, the communications networks, transport system, education and other facilities have been devastated. As one inhabitant put it, "We aspire to join the third world but we are a long way off yet."
Stepping onto African soil is a memory that will remain with John: "To get to Southern Sudan you have to travel via Entebbe in Uganda and then take a small plane to the Yei airstrip. It's exactly how you'd imagine an African airstrip to be – just a dirt strip and a couple of outbuildings. My first impression was that there is just too much to do. People own very little and have scares resources. Everything is starting from scratch."
pearcemayfield has a policy of doing practical things that will help the people they work with on an everyday basis. Their clients are, more usually, programme and project managers from the public and private sectors in the UK. Going to Africa was an extension of that practical philosophy.
"It all started with a conversation that Patrick Mayfield, our CEO, had with an Oxfordshire medical charity," John explained. "Then he and I were introduced to a Sudanese Bishop, Elias Taban, who is a charismatic entrepreneur and church leader. Elias told us about the situation in Sudan and when we heard about it we decided pearcemayfield should help."
Instead of simply donating money, John seized the opportunity to visit Yei.
"When I told my sons I was going, they said they wanted to come too. Ben is 27 and works as graphic designer. He's also a talented musician. Jacob is 25 and works in the brewing industry as well as being a great sports coach."
The trio decided to focus on what they could get done while they were there, while keeping a long term perspective in their minds too.
They decided to focus on:
- Initiatives that supported rebuilding business
- Developing children's education programmes
- Building relationships between business and education professionals
"As a result of so many years of fighting there is a 'missing generation' of business people in Southern Sudan. To make any kind of practical difference, we had to get on and get involved. We used the opportunity to set up some workshops, but we also made a commitment to setting up a charity that would provide long-term help."
The workshops they ran were aimed at the business people and teachers. They enlisted the help of Sebit Jose, a local education Coordinator. Sebit said he really appreciated the work John and his sons did, "I am sending you my official appreciation of the activities you carried out here. I believe it is currently helping our teachers and learners and eventually the community," he said.
"Through the workshops we explored some of the business skills – like project planning – that are useful for running any kind of business. We also ran sessions for teachers. Although there is much that we have in common and can share, the challenges people face in Africa are incomparable to what we experience in the UK. It is like stepping back 50 years. For example, in the schools, teachers are still practicing corporal punishment. We showed them that lessons and group learning can be a fun and constructive experience for the children – a different way of doing things," John said.
Naturally the Sudanese input their own ideas for how things should be done too. "One charming tradition the Sudanese have is their sense of ceremony and formality. At the end of the courses the delegates each gave a presentation about what they had learned, together with speeches from other local leaders. We understood they respected us for our knowledge. We felt flattered by the respect they showed us and felt a sense of responsibility towards them."
It was this sense of responsibility led them to set up a charity called Roots www.rootssudan.org. The charity raises money and supports educational and business initiatives. Baroness Caroline Cox, who met John and his sons while they were in Yei, later invited John to the House of Lords to explain the aims of Roots.
She said, "I met John, Ben and Jacob, the founders of Roots, in southern Sudan when they were working with the business people and children there. Their passion for the people they were helping and their desire to make a difference were evident for all to see. Roots is aiming to provide help and assistance in an area where, because of years of conflict, there is little infrastructure and a real inadequacy in humanitarian provisions. I applaud their aims and objectives and wish them well."
John and his sons have now visited the country twice, and have run sports events, organized more workshops for the business people and teachers, they've set up the charity and created a website, run fund-raising events and have become trustees of Roots.
Summarising his experience of working with his sons on this inspiring project, John said, "It has been privilege to work with my sons and the Sudanese people. I have learned that it is absolutely possible for one person to make a difference, and even more so with the support of like-minded people. We have been amazed at what we have done – setting up a charity; raising funds; making the visits; delivering workshops and events – yet we know that there is much more to do. Therefore, we have made a long-term commitment to make a difference in that community."
If you would like to help Roots Sudan, you can:
- Make a one-off donation, or make regular contributions
- Give your time to help publicise the work of Roots
- Volunteering to help with the work of Roots
About John Edmonds and pearcemayfield
John Edmonds is Head of Training for pearcemayfield. He has overall responsibility for training courseware. He also governs the organization's marketing, PR and pro bono efforts.
pearcemayfield specializes in learning and development, helping organizations and individuals to become more effective in their programmes and projects and to achieve successful change.
The organization has an inspirational approach in the way it designs learning experiences, making mastering skills in these areas both effective and enjoyable. www.pearcemayfield.com
pearcemayfield is an Accredited Training Organization (ATO) in PRINCE2®, Managing Successful Programmes®, P3O®, Management of Risk® and Change Management™ through the APM Group.
