Darfur, No Idea!
Godwin ‘Ochuko ORKEH, MD
November 2005
You have ABSOLUTELY no idea! No idea of what it means to spend six full months in Darfur, Sudan, and to survive it! I heard these words when I just arrived in Darfur from a colleague who was leaving the field. I found myself repeating the same as I boarded the United Nations HAS flight out of West Darfur, my home for six months.
The last few days of my stay in Darfur are the nightmare of any field officer in-charge of a poor, large and desperate family. I knew I was leaving; and I had no date of return. I was starring into a future pregnant with possibilities and ideas. Yet, all I could tell my staff and the project beneficiaries was -see you later! See you later, YES! Maybe I would be returning in a couple of weeks, or maybe not in the near future. They’ve gone through the process of seeing me as a stranger, then as a welcomed guest, and then as an honored family member. These are the ordinary people of Darfur, and I was their medical coordinator leaving. The truth is I am happy to be leaving. If I don’t leave, how else can I return?
With a 10-day notice, I still had to spend an additional week in Khartoum, processing my exit permit & visa and flight reservation to get me out of SUDAN. I am glad I didn’t have any “personal emergencies” to hurriedly attend to outside the country! I still cannot believe the whole fiasco. I unfortunately do not have any butterflies in my stomach leaving Khartoum, yet I am afraid to close my eyes, thinking of those looking up to my leadership and guidance, and the thousands who will miss their doctor.
In my six months of working in Darfur, I had a job description which included phrases such as: "... Develop, Design, Set up, Organize, Liaise, Undertake, Support... blah, blah...”, and a never ending To-do list! The only task omitted was “to avoid" the Janjaweeds! This last bit was a very important part of my tasks in the field!!
Godwin ‘Ochuko ORKEH, MD
November 2005
You have ABSOLUTELY no idea! No idea of what it means to spend six full months in Darfur, Sudan, and to survive it! I heard these words when I just arrived in Darfur from a colleague who was leaving the field. I found myself repeating the same as I boarded the United Nations HAS flight out of West Darfur, my home for six months.
The last few days of my stay in Darfur are the nightmare of any field officer in-charge of a poor, large and desperate family. I knew I was leaving; and I had no date of return. I was starring into a future pregnant with possibilities and ideas. Yet, all I could tell my staff and the project beneficiaries was -see you later! See you later, YES! Maybe I would be returning in a couple of weeks, or maybe not in the near future. They’ve gone through the process of seeing me as a stranger, then as a welcomed guest, and then as an honored family member. These are the ordinary people of Darfur, and I was their medical coordinator leaving. The truth is I am happy to be leaving. If I don’t leave, how else can I return?
With a 10-day notice, I still had to spend an additional week in Khartoum, processing my exit permit & visa and flight reservation to get me out of SUDAN. I am glad I didn’t have any “personal emergencies” to hurriedly attend to outside the country! I still cannot believe the whole fiasco. I unfortunately do not have any butterflies in my stomach leaving Khartoum, yet I am afraid to close my eyes, thinking of those looking up to my leadership and guidance, and the thousands who will miss their doctor.
In my six months of working in Darfur, I had a job description which included phrases such as: "... Develop, Design, Set up, Organize, Liaise, Undertake, Support... blah, blah...”, and a never ending To-do list! The only task omitted was “to avoid" the Janjaweeds! This last bit was a very important part of my tasks in the field!!
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