St Bartholomew and All Saints Church

Wootton Bassett

Sudan Link, Mundri Diocese

A formal link with Bishop Bismark and the Mundri Diocese was set up in January2009 and the PCC decided that this link should run for at least the next three years.  All the Charitable giving of the Church for this time will go towards assisting Mundri with a number of projects chosen by the Diocesan Development Committee in Mundri.  

The PCC hope that we will support the development of the Mundri Diocese and assist with projects they suggest to us as we are able.   In our turn we will learn how our Christian sisters and brothers live and work in a very different world, and we will learn to turn our thoughts outward to others who have so very much less than we have.

Two quotes from visitors to Mundri:

The climate in Sudan can be very oppressive, as I write it is 94F in Khartoum, the Capital!  In the South, the mainly Christian area, there is very little infrastructure.  Bismark has to go more than 100 miles to collect his post… , roads become impassible when the heavy rains come and the electricity supply is very variable.

The trip to the church was hot, dry, and brown—so when the welcoming parade of children and brightly uniformed choirs appeared, the contrast was vivid. Everywhere we travelled, the land seemed as good as dead, but the people were full of life.   

Sudan is the largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

Population:  41,087,825 (July 2009 est.)

Natural Hazards: dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Environment current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought

Background: The UN took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation from the African Union on 31 December 2007. As of early 2009, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighbouring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

Source:The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009

The Cathedral in Mundri

Bismark  and half the family home!