Frontlines September/October 2011
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FRONTLINES WWW.USAID.GOV SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 TWO SUDANS THE SEPARATION OF AFRICA’S LARGEST COUNTRY AND THE ROAD AHEAD > A GLOBAL EDUCATION FOOTPRINT TAKES SHAPE > EGYPT SHAKES UP THE CLASSROOM > Q&A WITH REP. NITA LOWEY Sudan & South Sudan/Education Edition INSIGHTS From Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah A few weeks before South Sudan’s skills, making it more likely they will day of independence, I had the oppor- eventually drop out. tunity to visit the region and meet a These failures leave developing na- HE WORLD welcomed its group of children who were learning tions without the human and social newest nation when South English and math in a USAID-supported capital needed to advance and sustain Sudan officially gained its primary education program. The stu- development. They deprive too many inde pendence on July 9. After dents ranged in ages from 4 to 14. individuals of the skills they need as Tover two decades of war and suffering, Many of the older students have lived productive members of their commu- a peace agree ment between north and through a period of displacement, vio- nities and providers for their families. south Sudan paved the way for South lence, and trauma. This was likely the Across the world, our education pro- Sudanese to fulfill their dreams of self- very first opportunity they had to re- grams emphasize a special focus on determination. The United States played ceive even a basic education. disadvantaged groups such as women an important role in helping make this When you see American taxpayer and girls and those living in remote moment possible, and today we remain money being effectively used to provide areas. In rural Liberia—where less than committed to support- education in a way that 2 percent of people have electricity— ing the people and Gov- improves the lives of new solar-powered classrooms enable ernment of South Sudan Our goal is these children and con- teens and mothers to study at night build a peaceful, prosperous to improve tributes to the peaceful after finishing a day’s work. nation. equitable access founding of a new na- In Afghanistan, we have assisted the Also on July 9, we opened tion, you get a genuine government to dramatically expand the a full USAID mission in to quality sense for the signifi- number of children enrolled in primary Juba, the capital of South education, cance and long-term school—from 750,000 boys enrolled Sudan, to strengthen the particularly in im pact of this work. under the Taliban in 2001 to approxi- progress we have made crisis and conflict Our goal is to im- mately 7 million children today, nearly across the region in part- prove equitable access 35 percent of whom are girls. nership with local com- environments. to quality education, There is no more powerful tool for munities. We have helped The challenge particularly in crisis creating healthy, prosperous, stable so- provide a million people is steep. and conflict environ- cieties than education. We need to con- access to clean water, and ments. The challenge tinue to seek evidence-based approaches financed the construction of roads, is steep. An estimated 70 million chil- and innovative solutions to providing bridges, and health clinics. Perhaps dren—more than half of whom are engaging learning opportunities for the most important, we have helped ex- girls—are not enrolled in school. world’s most vulnerable children. ■ pand school enrollment rates from 25 Many of those children who do at- percent to 68 percent. tend school are not achieving basic www.usaid.gov/frontlines “I realize that there are among us those who are weary of sustaining this continual INSIDE THIS ISSUE effort to help other nations. But I would ask them to look at a map and recognize that many of those whom we help live on the ‘front lines’ of the long twilight struggle for freedom—that others are new nations posed between order and chaos— and the rest are older nations now undergoing a turbulent transition of new Two Sudans: expectations. Our efforts to help them help The Separation of themselves, to demonstrate and to Africa’s Largest strengthen the vitality of free institutions, 2 Country and are small in cost compared to our military Early Education outlays for the defense of freedom.” the Road Ahead Sets Nicaraguans —John F. Kennedy, Special Message to the on Path to Success 10 Reinforcing a Tenuous Peace as 32 Congress on Foreign Aid, March 13, 1962 South Sudan Rises to Statehood FrontLines is published by the Bureau 28 Message from USAID’s for Legislative and Public Affairs 14 Darfur’s Window of Opportunity Education Chief U.S. Agency for International Development 30 USAID’s Global Education David Barth, Acting Deputy Assistant 16 South Sudan’s Greenbelt Footprint Takes Shape Administrator for Public Affairs 18 Q&A with Bill Hammink, FRONTLINES STAFF: Former Mission Director 36 Egypt Shakes Up the Classroom to Sudan Kelly Ramundo, Managing Editor 38 Mobile Phones, eBooks Claire McIntyre, Production Editor 20 Baby Steps in One of the Turning the Page on Education Angela Rucker, Writer/Editor Patricia Adams, Photo Librarian Worst Places for Mothers 40 Higher Education Partnerships Marquita Wise-Williams, Human Resources Coordinator and Employee Liaison 22 Centuries-Old Wildlife Migration 42 Q&A with Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) Alexandra Wise, Intern Untouched by Decades of War Taylor Nelson, Intern 44 Talent Broker CORRESPONDENTS: 46 In a New Nation, AFGE – Willy Hardin; AFR – Susan Quinn, See the online version of FrontLines for Building the Education Basics Diana Harper; AFSA – Francisco Zamora; links to additional reading and videos. ASIA – Jan Cartwright; CFBCI – Heather MacLean; DCHA – Rebecca Gustafson, Sven Lindholm; EGAT – Jane Stanley, E&E – Elisa Walton, Ranta Russell; Michael www.usaid.gov/frontlines Hathaway; OCRD – Gloria Blackwell; GC – Harmony Wade; ODP – Todd Kirkbride; GH – Sandra Jordan, Chris Thomas, Jessica DiRocco; IG – Debra Scott; LAC – Maxine Hillary; LPA – Barbara Bennett; M – Lauren Gabler; ME – Hope Bryer, Jan Cartwright; Cover: National Anthem singers at the SEC – Dwayne Moore, Lorraine Meehan Dr. John Garang memorial site in Juba, South Submit notices, story ideas, feedback to Sudan, celebrate Independence Day, July 9. FrontLines articles, and requests to be added to the mailing list to [email protected]. Go to www.usaid.gov/frontlines Photo by Jenn Warren FRONTLINES • September/October 2011 SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN TWO SUDANS THE SEPARATION OF AFRICA’S LARGEST COUNTRY AND THE ROAD AHEAD By Angela Stephens South Sudan Independence Day celebrations, July 9 2 www.USAID.gov SUDAN TWO SUDANS THE SEPARATION OF AFRICA’S LARGEST COUNTRY AND THE ROAD AHEAD By Angela Stephens N JULY 9, after decades of more somber in Khartoum, where The division of Sudan has brought civil war and the loss of the feeling among many was uncer- changes for the U.S. Government as more than 2 million lives, tainty about their suddenly smaller well. USAID’s Sudan mission, which South Sudan seceded from country’s economic future, since was reopened in 2006—14 years OSudan and became the world’s new- most of Sudan’s oil—the lifeblood of after USAID’s international staff had est nation—a peaceful and demo- the economy—is in the south. evacuated Juba and four Sudanese cratic breaking-in-two of what was Because of the severe human toll USAID staff were executed by Suda- Africa’s largest country. and destabilizing consequences of nese military intelligence—became The event brought joy to the streets conflict in Sudan—not only the the USAID mission in South Sudan and dusty roads of South Sudan, north-south conflict, but also the on July 9, and the U.S. Consulate where nearly 99 percent of citizens tragedy of the Darfur conflict that became a U.S. Embassy. who voted in the USAID-assisted ref- began in 2003—Sudan has for years Despite the pride and exhilaration erendum on self-determination chose been the U.S. Government’s highest Southern Sudanese felt in achieving secession last January. The mood was priority in Africa. independence, the challenges their Warren Jenn Photo by FRONTLINES • September/October 2011 3 SUDAN/SOUTH SUDAN new nation faces are daunting. A land- reconstruction, but in South Sudan, South Sudan also faces the chal- locked country with oil resources but you’re really talking about construc- lenge of integrating into productive without its own pipeline to transport tion. They had very little to start with,” employment hundreds of thousands of and export the oil, South Sudan is still said William Hammink, who was recent returnees who have come back negotiating with Sudan on revenue USAID mission director in Sudan from to their ancestral home areas after sharing or fees Juba would pay Khar- 2009 to 2011. years or decades living in northern toum to enable export of oil through “In 2005, Juba was still a garrison Sudan. Since October 30, 2010, more Port Sudan. town that armed forces of the north than 370,000 Sudanese have returned controlled. All the various infrastruc- to South Sudan and the Three Areas— SOUTH SUDAN’S ECONOMY is ture, such as sewers, electricity, roads— the Abyei Area and Southern Kordo- exceedingly oil-dependent. As the dated to the British colonial days of the fan and Blue Nile states. country approached independence, 98 1950s. So not only is South Sudan When the CPA was signed in 2005, percent of Government of South Sudan starting from scratch in terms of gov- it created the autonomous sub-national revenues came from oil, as part of reve- ernment institutions, but also its infra- Government of Southern Sudan—an nue sharing agreed to in the 2005 structure,” he said.