Sudanese native plans to ship $21M worth of medicine to Sudan

By Ryan Hutton, New England Newspapers:

LANESBOROUGH, USA - For 15 years, William O. Levi, a southern Sudan native who now lives in Berkshire County, has sent substantial aid to his home country through his charity, Operation Nehemiah Missions — but this Christmas, he got the war-torn country one very large gift.

Through a partnership with the Wisconsin-based International Children's Fund, Operation Nehemiah Missions is sending $21 million in medical supplies to the country to combat common but dangerous tropical diseases, such as malaria and typhoid fever, and sexually transmitted diseases.

"Southern Sudan is a country with a lot of medical needs," Levi said during an interview in his Lanesborough home. "Thousands and thousands of refugees are returning from exile. They're all taking their place in the community, and there is no infrastructure. So we are distributing this medicine to where the need is greatest."

The shipment, which is in New Orleans waiting to be sent, will supply aid to nearly 345,000 people, he said. Last year, the International Children's Fund and its president, Dr. David Bruenning, donated $10 million in medical supplies to Operation Nehemiah Missions and helped complete the mission's clinic in 2007. The clinic now serves more than 7,000 people.

"If (Bruenning) had just done that, that would have been enough," Levi said. "But he went ahead and got us $10 million worth of medicine and now, to refill the clinic, he gave us this much. He asked me at the beginning if I could contribute to the shipping because of the economic downturn, but then he called me and said he had come up with the funds."

Bruenning and Levi were connected by a mutual acquaintance in Wisconsin two years ago. Bruenning had done charitable work in Africa before but was looking for a way to assist southern Sudan.

After helping to complete the clinic and donating the initial $10 million worth of supplies, the 71-year-old Bruenning wasn't done.

When Levi got back from Sudan in June to oversee the distribution of the medicine, he said he knew he needed to do more. He found out just before Christmas that Bruenning had come through again with the new donation.

"We have the faith that we can help rebuild people's lives from scratch as they return from exile in the refugee camps," Levi said. "At the time they started returning (in 2004), there was nothing there - no clinic, nothing and the area was still very hostile."

Operation Nehemiah Missions is also in the process of establishing a radio station in southern Sudan, and Levi said about 22 solar panels will be shipped to power the station. He said the fuel shortages and expenses in the area had made it difficult to get the radio station off the ground, but the mission recently received a donation of $44,000 to finish the station, and now the panels will help power it.

"Now we can really use it to educate people that haven't had anything like this before," Levi said. "We're going to use it to broadcast the gospel, but also important is that it's going to be used to broadcast public health information — teaching people hygiene, what kind of water to drink and how to help women and children to avoid basic diseases that can be cured without them killing people."

Levi said he has also sent more than 5,000 hand-held radios that are permanently tuned to Operation Nehemiah Missions' station, 97.3 FM, so people can listen in. They are powered by small clip-on solar panels that charge batteries, which have a shelf life of 15 years.

"I am just honored and humbled by people giving to this cause," Levi said. "We have the clinic and now this radio station and agricultural development. These three areas are my concentration right now to help establish self-sufficient, thriving communities in a land that has been devastated by war. I can't be grateful enough for my life in the United States to allow me to do this with the support of the people here."

Levi said now that the clinic and radio station are almost up and running, he is finally able to take a step back and try to let the people of southern Sudan stand on their own feet.

"The key thing I want to do there is to have the people we are helping rise up," he said. "They are the ones that need to take hold of the vision that God gave me back in 1993. In doing so, we become co-laborers, so I don't have to be there, telling them what to do. It is good for them to say, 'The American people and William are doing this much for us; what can we do for ourselves?'

"We're creating self-sufficiency. We're making men out of them who take pride and responsibility in their community."