In April 2006, the Bishop of Torit allocated a 6,000 m2 (100m x 60m) plot to the Bridge Project; a good site situated in the mission area bordering the road on one side and an old mission building on the other. It is located close to the UN peacekeeping force compound which has been Caritas Switzerland’s neighbour from the beginning. In the past couple of years, however, as the situation in South Sudan stabilised and became more secure, Torit has become a fast-growing town and Caritas Switzerland will soon have new neighbours. The Catholic Diocese of Torit (CDoT), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) are all in the process of building their own compounds next to that of Caritas Switzerland.
The first step in building the base was to drill a borehole and install an electrical pump to cater for the water needs of the project base and the surrounding compounds. The area was cleared and materials were purchased in Nairobi. In May the first truck arrived in Torit and construction work started; a fence was erected, temporary toilet and shower facilities, a kitchen and dinner hall, a generator house and a gate house were built. The dinner hall initially doubled as an office and approximately ten tents were set up for staff accommodation. The base camp was fully operational as per the end of July, allowing field activities to intensify. Water, electricity (solar and generator) and communication facilities (thuraya, satellite internet) were in place and functioning and two project cars had arrived at the base camp. Construction of permanent office and accommodation buildings as well as better toilet and shower facilities then went on for another few months. Currently, the Caritas Switzerland compound is made up of an office block with four offices, six self-contained rooms, seven tents and two toilets and showers. In addition, the temporary toilet and shower facilities were kept and four separate huts were built with local materials for the drivers and the guards.
The Bridge Project team consists of a project manager, a project assistant, a community development specialist and base support personnel (a camp manager, a storekeeper, three watchmen, four drivers, two cooks and one cleaner). An additional person was hired to look after the seven tents, which now serves as accommodation for guests. Offering good accommodation, the tents have become an income generating activity that contributes modestly to the costs of running the camp.
In the future, the generated income might be used to replace the tents with more permanent structures, construct thatch roofs over them to keep them cooler or make them semi-permanent and self-contained. In time, flowers or a hedge might also be planted around the fence to provide more privacy from neighbours. Life on the compound will also be improved by the various crops (including papaya, guavas, oranges, grapes, passion fruits, bananas and mangos, groundnuts and beans) that have been planted in and around the compound. Because of the limited supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, these crops will add variety and help improve future meals.
Please note that Caritas Switzerland does not in fact own any of the above-mentioned facilities but is merely using them while operational in Torit. In the end, all erected structures, vehicles and equipment will be handed over to the Bridge Project's consortium partner in Torit, the CDoT.
