Skaneateles and war-torn South Sudan benefit from unusual collaboration - Syracuse.com

By Dorothy Long
Contributing writer

At first glance it’s difficult to see the connection between an affluent, lakeside village in Central New York and a war-ravaged village in South Sudan.

But the village of Skaneateles and the village of Duk Payuel in South Sudan became sister villages last month with the approval of the Skaneateles Village Board and the Duk Payuel village chiefs and administrators.

What exactly the relationship will mean is still up in the air, according to the Rev. Craig Lindsey, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Skaneateles.

“It has only been since December so we don’t know how the relationship is going to work out,” Lindsey said.

But, he said, getting the village board to approve the relationship with the impoverished African village was no problem. The board looked at the proposal and immediately approved it, calling it a “no brainer,” he said.

The relationship between Skaneateles and Duk Payuel began long ago when two Skaneateles churches, First Presbyterian and St. James Episcopal, sponsored eight Lost Boys refugees from South Sudan and brought them to the area in 2001.

The Lost Boys, named after Peter Pan’s orphans, fled Ethiopia in 1992 after civil war there made it unsafe. They walked through Sudan, eventually finding safety at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Starting in 1999, the United Nations coordinated the relocation of about 3,600 Lost Boys to the United States.

Meanwhile, the Rev. Peter Major, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Skaneateles, has served as a missionary in South Sudan, forming another link between Skaneateles and the region.

All of the Sudanese refugees sponsored by the Skaneateles churches have become U.S. citizens. They often send money home to help support their families and communities in Africa.

Lindsey said the Lost Boys ministry changed the church and everyone in it.

In 2005, Lindsey made his first trip to Duk Payuel to work with more than 100 Lost Boys refugees and help reunite them with their families.

When he returned, church members formed the John Dau Foundation — a group of Skaneateles residents, including students from the Skaneateles Central School District, and Dau, one of the original refugees — to raise money to build, equip and operate a clinic in the remote South Sudan village.

By 2007, they were ready, and Ted Kinder, Don Cross, Chuck Williams and Mark Dewitt went to Duk Payuel with two cargo containers filled with tools and materials to build the village’s first modern health-care clinic.

The shipping containers were lost, the only well went dry and skilled labor was nonexistent. But they managed to build the clinic.

For two years, Skaneateles residents paid to operate the clinic. Eventually international grants kicked in to help maintain existing programs and expand the services they could offer.

The clinic vaccinates, diagnoses and treats a variety of diseases and provides pre-natal and post-natal care with trained midwives, ultrasound equipment, a surgical suite and nutritional care.

Lindsey acquired the donation of a satellite dish and high speed Internet service, assuring constant contact between the two villages — including doctors in Skaneateles and the clinic.

Cross has returned several times, bringing solar and wind power to the clinic.

Skaneateles physicians Barbara Connor and David Reed helped train midwives and medical staff.

The clinic has become a full county hospital seeing an average of 5,500 patients a month.

Nutrition and agricultural education programs have been added to the services to improve overall health in the area.

But in 2011, when specialists from the Moran Eye Hospital in Utah came to help correct blindness and train staff, a whole new benefit was discovered.

The clinic is in an area populated by the Dinka Tribe but is close to areas populated by the Nuer, the Murle and the Yuai tribes. The four tribes have historically fought over cattle grazing land, killing each other and kidnapping women and children.

In addition to constant tribal conflict, the climate and conditions foster correctable eye diseases. Dau, Connor and Reed chartered planes and flew in 83 patients from the surrounding rival tribes for treatment by volunteers from Moran.

After surgery, the patients remained a few days for recovery. They spent time together, sharing meals and conversation. They left with restored vision and new views of their neighbors and new friends, promising to work for peace in the future.

It’s easy to see what Skaneateles has done for Duk Payuel. But, while perhaps less obvious, Lindsey said, Duk Payuel has done just as much for Skaneateles.

“It has changed lives. It has been one miracle after another. It is putting faith into action. For the village, it is an opportunity to see the world around us,” Lindsey said.

Skaneateles schools can use Skype to teach students about another culture.

Area doctors can get involved in treating diseases and conditions that are rare or no longer exist in this country.

“Now, with our villages being in a relationship, it is the hope of any siblings that we would learn from one another and care about each other,” Lindsey said.

“The clinic staff now are able to vaccinate against disease and treat most circumstances that come,” Lindsey said. “Where there had been civil war north and south there are now separate nations. Where there had been cattle raiding, raping, kidnapping and murder between tribes there are now prospects for peace. Along the way every individual has struggled with their faith and what they could do to make a difference. We have each received 100 times what we put in.”

How to help:
You can donate online at johndaufoundation.org/donate or by mail at John Dau Foundation, Box 503, Skaneateles 13152

By Dorothy Long
Contributing writer

At first glance it’s difficult to see the connection between an affluent, lakeside village in Central New York and a war-ravaged village in South Sudan.

But the village of Skaneateles and the village of Duk Payuel in South Sudan became sister villages last month with the approval of the Skaneateles Village Board and the Duk Payuel village chiefs and administrators.

What exactly the relationship will mean is still up in the air, according to the Rev. Craig Lindsey, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Skaneateles.

“It has only been since December so we don’t know how the relationship is going to work out,” Lindsey said.

But, he said, getting the village board to approve the relationship with the impoverished African village was no problem. The board looked at the proposal and immediately approved it, calling it a “no brainer,” he said.

The relationship between Skaneateles and Duk Payuel began long ago when two Skaneateles churches, First Presbyterian and St. James Episcopal, sponsored eight Lost Boys refugees from South Sudan and brought them to the area in 2001.

The Lost Boys, named after Peter Pan’s orphans, fled Ethiopia in 1992 after civil war there made it unsafe. They walked through Sudan, eventually finding safety at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Starting in 1999, the United Nations coordinated the relocation of about 3,600 Lost Boys to the United States.

Meanwhile, the Rev. Peter Major, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Skaneateles, has served as a missionary in South Sudan, forming another link between Skaneateles and the region.

All of the Sudanese refugees sponsored by the Skaneateles churches have become U.S. citizens. They often send money home to help support their families and communities in Africa.

Lindsey said the Lost Boys ministry changed the church and everyone in it.

In 2005, Lindsey made his first trip to Duk Payuel to work with more than 100 Lost Boys refugees and help reunite them with their families.

When he returned, church members formed the John Dau Foundation — a group of Skaneateles residents, including students from the Skaneateles Central School District, and Dau, one of the original refugees — to raise money to build, equip and operate a clinic in the remote South Sudan village.

By 2007, they were ready, and Ted Kinder, Don Cross, Chuck Williams and Mark Dewitt went to Duk Payuel with two cargo containers filled with tools and materials to build the village’s first modern health-care clinic.

The shipping containers were lost, the only well went dry and skilled labor was nonexistent. But they managed to build the clinic.

For two years, Skaneateles residents paid to operate the clinic. Eventually international grants kicked in to help maintain existing programs and expand the services they could offer.

The clinic vaccinates, diagnoses and treats a variety of diseases and provides pre-natal and post-natal care with trained midwives, ultrasound equipment, a surgical suite and nutritional care.

Lindsey acquired the donation of a satellite dish and high speed Internet service, assuring constant contact between the two villages — including doctors in Skaneateles and the clinic.

Cross has returned several times, bringing solar and wind power to the clinic.

Skaneateles physicians Barbara Connor and David Reed helped train midwives and medical staff.

The clinic has become a full county hospital seeing an average of 5,500 patients a month.

Nutrition and agricultural education programs have been added to the services to improve overall health in the area.

But in 2011, when specialists from the Moran Eye Hospital in Utah came to help correct blindness and train staff, a whole new benefit was discovered.

The clinic is in an area populated by the Dinka Tribe but is close to areas populated by the Nuer, the Murle and the Yuai tribes. The four tribes have historically fought over cattle grazing land, killing each other and kidnapping women and children.

In addition to constant tribal conflict, the climate and conditions foster correctable eye diseases. Dau, Connor and Reed chartered planes and flew in 83 patients from the surrounding rival tribes for treatment by volunteers from Moran.

After surgery, the patients remained a few days for recovery. They spent time together, sharing meals and conversation. They left with restored vision and new views of their neighbors and new friends, promising to work for peace in the future.

It’s easy to see what Skaneateles has done for Duk Payuel. But, while perhaps less obvious, Lindsey said, Duk Payuel has done just as much for Skaneateles.

“It has changed lives. It has been one miracle after another. It is putting faith into action. For the village, it is an opportunity to see the world around us,” Lindsey said.

Skaneateles schools can use Skype to teach students about another culture.

Area doctors can get involved in treating diseases and conditions that are rare or no longer exist in this country.

“Now, with our villages being in a relationship, it is the hope of any siblings that we would learn from one another and care about each other,” Lindsey said.

“The clinic staff now are able to vaccinate against disease and treat most circumstances that come,” Lindsey said. “Where there had been civil war north and south there are now separate nations. Where there had been cattle raiding, raping, kidnapping and murder between tribes there are now prospects for peace. Along the way every individual has struggled with their faith and what they could do to make a difference. We have each received 100 times what we put in.”

How to help:
You can donate online at johndaufoundation.org/donate or by mail at John Dau Foundation, Box 503, Skaneateles 13152