A few years ago, I visited South Sudan’s internally displaced people camps and refugee camps. I met families surviving on tiny amounts of food, a small bottle of oil, grain and beans. Nothing you see on the news prepares you for seeing this heart-breaking poverty. As I flew over the country in a small plane, I was surprised at how green it was, with stunning rivers and natural resources, a wonderful country if only peace would come, South Sudan’s potential is endless. I was travelling with a team led by Baroness Caroline Cox, from the House of Lords. Baroness Cox introduced me to tribal leaders, military and political leaders, as well as church leaders and university lecturers. During our discussions, they revealed solutions and strategy to solve their country’s challenges, I felt honoured to have met these intelligent men and women.
Part of our trip was spent with some members of the Dinka tribe. They are soooo tall, naturally elegant, with the physique of supermodels/basketball players, strong and slim. I told a few women that they reminded me of my daughter, they stared at me in disbelief….I am just over 5’3’’ and have never been described as thin! So I showed them a photo of my size 6, 5’8’’ tall daughter and they screamed with delight, laughing with surprise, ‘ Yes, she is a white Dinka.’ Tonight, we’ll be eating flat bread and beans, and we will be remembering those in the world who survive on one tiny meal a day, much less than we are eating.
Flat bread and beans
Ingredients
4 x flatbreads
1 x can of any beans, 395g (I am using taco mixed beans in spicy sauce)
Method
Warm flatbread in oven for 5 minutes
Heat beans in saucepan for a few minutes
Discussion points:
What is the population of South Sudan?
Is it the world’s newest nation?
How many people are internally displaced?
How long has the country been enduring conflict?
Name a famous person from South Sudan in the following catagories: artist, politician, scientist, Olympic athlete, supermodel, musicians, footballer, basketball player.
