Final report : Abyei rural development project

Project success was mixed due to a number of constraints which affected its progress. A major problem was the territorial conflict between the Ngok Dinka and Missiriya Humr tribes inhabiting the region. The project failed to reach both groups and moderate their differences. Also, a dearth of information on the region hampered project efforts. There were to be a series of studies conducted on area soils, land use, water resources, population, socioeconomic conditions, and nutrition, but only the latter two were completed and these provided unreliable information. The area"s natural environment also posed a problem, due to persistent high temperatures, periods of drought and rain, and gale-force winds. In implementation, the major difficulties were the lag in A.I.D."s approval and release of operating funds; also the divergence of expectations and objectives among the major parties led to a failure to develop a consensus in support of the project. The project successfully constructed 26 buildings, drilled a number of wells at low cost, produced a kiln-fired brick for use as a building material, installed a radio communications system, and realigned and extended the area"s airstrip. Local organizational arrangements were informal but proved adequate to carry out this project phase. A generally successful logistic system was established to ship supplies between London/Cambridge and Abyei/Khartoum and four local group farms were created, two of which were successful. Also, the project"s production component produced a wide range of agricultural, wood, metal, and ceramic products. Due to the lack of environmental surveys, a series of long-term studies were initiated which altered key perceptions about the environment. As a program to provide formal education in Abyei had failed miserably, a nonformal on-the-job training program in various trade skills was developed. In a few areas, such as health, formal curricula were prepared and health workers given regular lessons, while maternal/child health courses were offered to mothers early on in the project.