Yei, the remaking of small London

My first impression
of Yei was mixed. It reminded me so much of my village, Ogidi in Anambra State,
east of the River Niger in Nigeria. It also gave me a vivid idea of what many
churches, schools and homes looked like before and after the civil war. The
Sudan civil war ended in 2005 with bombed out schools, churches and homes all
over the south. 

The few surviving structures were riddled with bullet holes and
wounds of various sizes, reminding whoever cared to note, of the horror that
once ruled these parts. But one will notice the colonial touch from the kind of
buildings that served as homes and offices of the masters back then. London was
not a bad name truly. Those guys from Europe really intended to make Yei home
away from home.

I arrived Yei for the first time on the
4^th of July 2005 in the company of Pastor Stanley. We drove in by
road from Bazi where we had camped for 5days with some other friends from the
USA, ministering to locals and distributing food to the people in Bazi. More on
this Bazi outreach later.

The sight of
deminers working with great care, just 6 meters from our gate unnerved me
immediately on arrival. War was still fresh in many minds. Chills ran through
my spine as I imagined what could be that must not be. The sign, “Walk
along the Path” posted around the town in several places could be
interpreted, Mines!! The guys were all well kitted and worked together to
unearth the “thunder in the ground” as some call it. I didn‘t wait to
see if they succeeded.

Yei is located 68km
from the Ugandan border to the North and 160km from Juba, the Capital of South
Sudan on the north east axis. What makes the town strategic is that it is the
first major town you arrive at, coming from Uganda or the Congo northward in Sudan. Many
returnees transiting to various parts of Sudan after the war hang around in Yei
for a few days, looking for means to get to their destination and many times,
they preferred to settle. 

Thus, this town holds a vast collection of native
Sudanese, people from least reached and unreached areas. We are targeting their
students as our tools to reaching their unreached. It must happen!

Before the civil war
broke out in 1983, Yei was a booming business town because of its proximity to
the Ugandan and Congolese borders. To get into the inner part of south Sudan,
most traders had to pass through the town. 

The result was that it became a key
trading center for farmers and traders from the hinter lands and those from
Uganda and Congo. Hoteliers flooded the town. Guest houses called “Lodge” and
huts for rent provided ready shelter for wayfarers; while drinking bars and
shops offering mixed goods are on every corner. We are back to that life now.
In fact, we’ve gone beyond that with the arrival of movie centers, where all
kinds of movies and of course, the British Premiership league football could be
viewed for a fee.

Civil servants and
other high ranking government officials posted to Juba come over to Yei to
unwind quite frequently. Yei is so different from Juba, which is hot and humid
almost all year round.

The population of
Yei is put at 45,000 after the war in 2005, counting women and children. Since
then, it now hosts over 75,000 people over 70% of whom are youths. The
growth and expansion of the town within four year is encouraging. 

There’s an airstrip where 19seater
airplanes can land comfortably. We have electricity, powered from a generating
plant from 7am till 12night daily. Two FM radio stations operate here and one of them is ministry based, granting Christian programs free airtime very often. With four cell phone networks around, there’s a scramble for
customers. 

You can even get a free SIM card from some.  The government is currently fixing major roads
and trying to plan the town’s streets. Most places are known by
the name of the villages near them. Streets are yet to be named as they’ve
not been intentionally created. We tread more on pathways than streets. Healthcare is still a challenge but more private hospitals are coming in.

Yei is pretty
safe. Though we’ve had a few unsecure moments with LRA (Lord’s Resistant Army)
rebels of Uganda; who are hiding in forests of Congo, and invade villages near
and around Yei when our soldiers doze off on duty. Some have lost their lives
and a few abducted during the attacks. Nonetheless, this place is safe.

Yei has over 20
primary schools and 9 secondary schools. It’s a joy to note that all but one of
these secondary schools has a Scripture Union fellowship that meets weekly to
pray and worship. 16 different denominations are resident in Yei with many churches. There’s
a pastor’s forum that meets often with a goal to sharpen one another. 

Many
ministries and NGOs are here too, each with its own vision. There are three
orphanages in Yei, with over 300 kids.

Yei and the
surrounding villages are virgin lands for ministry. The needs are real and must
be engaged for the Kingdom’s sake. 

The challenge of youth development, orphans,
women empowerment, vast uncultivated fertile lands and church growth stare us
in the face with an intimidating gaze. Now’s a good time to engage.

Feel free to get in touch
and let’s know your passion and pursuit. We could work together. There’s surely
a place for your experience here in Yei. Ask me, plan to come, you’ll be
amazed. 

Author: Uche Izuora

I'm inspired by God’s passion for His name in every generation, which provokes global worship through Jesus Christ. Becoming an emotionally healthy and transformative disciple, I aim to mobilize the Church to engage in cross-cultural missions and raise other like-minded disciples who discover themselves in Christ and seek to present and represent Him as Savior and Lord among the nations northward of Uganda. View all posts by Uche Izuora