Having a career in global health, I often (before COVID, that is) found myself leaving our fair isle for various countries in Africa.
My first African trip since the dawn of global COVID travel restrictions recently had me headed to South Sudan. I’d never been there before and, honestly, was concerned not only about COVID risk, but also general security.
After clearing stringent COVID and customs hurdles in three countries, I landed in Juba on Oct. 10. Throughout my trip, I often thought about Jacob Acier, Vashon’s very tangible link to South Sudan. I didn’t know Jacob well during the seven years he called Vashon home, but I remember him in the community with fondness and found myself wondering how he was faring. I’d kept semi- up to date, with occasional updates via the GoFundMe page set up by one of Jacob’s greatest supporters, Kevin Joyce, but hadn’t seen anything for a while.
I awoke a few days into my trip to an email update on Jacob! It turned out he had just journeyed from his home in Uganda to Juba for the week. I immediately reached out to Kevin to get contact info for Jacob and within a couple of hours, Jacob was able to meet me at the hotel where my meetings were being held.
About 80% of South Sudan’s population is nomadic. Climate change has exacerbated flooding conditions and the week I was there, six of their 10 states were flooded, leading to a large population of “internally displaced people,” or IDPs.
Jacob explained that his brother had died a while ago and he has been working on getting his brother’s daughters from the tribe where they live to help ensure they have education and opportunities. His family is from one of the states that faces regular flooding, which makes health care access and education very difficult.
In the tradition of many of South Sudan’s tribes, dowries must be paid when young women are married, the dowry price often being paid in the form of cows. Jacob must raise the funds to pay what would otherwise be the dowry the family would receive for the girls and was in the country, in part, to negotiate with village elders for his nieces.
Further, as in so much of the world, the job situation in Eastern Africa is difficult due to COVID restrictions and closures. Jacob has been looking for work both in Uganda, where his wife and children are living, and in his native South Sudan.
Jacob invited me to the home in Juba where his family was staying, but due to the security constraints I was under for my work, I was unable to accept. He was very clear that he wants everyone who is from Vashon to know that we are all welcome in his village, in the same way he was so welcomed in ours. He sends his deep gratitude for all that Vashon has offered him and his family and the many ways in which our amazing community continues to come together to support him.
I left South Sudan feeling so much hope for this country and its resilient people. Everyone I worked with during the week exhibited the same type of kind tenacity that so many of us have seen in Jacob over the years.
There is nothing easy about the country’s history or its current situation. As they look towards elections in two years, they have much to do to continue to strengthen their young government and provide the most basic of services to their people.
In a way, our island’s connection to and continued support of Jacob and his family and village is just one small, yet very tangible way we can help this fragile country as they find their way, work to strengthen the peace and continue to build their nation.
If you’d like to support Jacob, check out the GoFundMe, set up and administered by Kevin Joyce, at gofundme/814da943.
Kirsten Gagnaire, a longtime islander, is the founder and CEO of Kati Collective, an organization dedicated to bettering lives by improving systems for global development.
