19/01: Happy CPA Day
As Ron writes on his personal Facebook page, January 19 is a "holiday in southern Sudan celebrating the 2005 signing of the CPA - Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the 22-year civil war that killed more than 2 million people. My heart goes out to the soldiers who fought for this peace, the millions of refugees forced to flee their homes, and the countless villagers who died in the violence."
That also means all offices are closed. Some meetings will have to be rescheduled. Anyone who does business in a country that celebrates its own holidays, and with American officials that celebrate American holidays (the US consul was closed Monday because of Martin Luther King Day), needs a combination of patience and persistence.
However, on Monday Ron did some important banking. Moving money around to pay contractors and laborers is a huge challenge in a country with a nascent banking system. Kenya Commercial Bank has an office in Juba, and will open offices in Wau and Aweil. So Ron and Jackson stood in line to get Ron set up as a signatory. "The bank required a copy of my passport and 2 passport size photos," Ron writes, "It just so happens that a photo business was located a short, but hot, walk away.The photo business was literally a table beside the road with a camera, a printer, a heat sealer, and a photocopy machine. 'Don't show your teeth,' the photographer said as I posed against a blanket hanging on the wall nearby."
Kenya Commercial will also be able to issue electronic statements when Ron is stateside. This means we will be able to file accurate and timely financial reports. Financial accountability is one of our strengths, thanks to Ron's creativity and discipline.
But Ron is relaxing today, and as far as we can tell, eating well -- fish from the Nile one evening, and shredded chicken and kisera another!
That also means all offices are closed. Some meetings will have to be rescheduled. Anyone who does business in a country that celebrates its own holidays, and with American officials that celebrate American holidays (the US consul was closed Monday because of Martin Luther King Day), needs a combination of patience and persistence.
However, on Monday Ron did some important banking. Moving money around to pay contractors and laborers is a huge challenge in a country with a nascent banking system. Kenya Commercial Bank has an office in Juba, and will open offices in Wau and Aweil. So Ron and Jackson stood in line to get Ron set up as a signatory. "The bank required a copy of my passport and 2 passport size photos," Ron writes, "It just so happens that a photo business was located a short, but hot, walk away.The photo business was literally a table beside the road with a camera, a printer, a heat sealer, and a photocopy machine. 'Don't show your teeth,' the photographer said as I posed against a blanket hanging on the wall nearby."
Kenya Commercial will also be able to issue electronic statements when Ron is stateside. This means we will be able to file accurate and timely financial reports. Financial accountability is one of our strengths, thanks to Ron's creativity and discipline.
But Ron is relaxing today, and as far as we can tell, eating well -- fish from the Nile one evening, and shredded chicken and kisera another!
