One of the most expensive parts of PPF’s work in Africa is transportation. Traditionally, the most frequent mode of transport in places like Southern Sudan has been by air. But chartering airplanes is expensive — VERY expensive. Road transportation is much cheaper. It’s also slower and has traditionally been challenged by poor roads and security concerns.
With the relative peace in Southern Sudan, more roads have begun opening up and more and more truck traffic can be seen crisscrossing the country — especially during the dry season when most roads are passable. But the roads are still very bad, so special trucks must be used. Trucks like the one pictured here. This is a Mercedes 911. It is a four-wheel drive truck with a 10-ton capacity. And during the rainy season, it can go almost anywhere in Southern Sudan — and at a much cheaper cost than using airplanes.
PPF recently added this 911 to our vehicle fleet in the hope that it will cut our transportation costs significantly, so we can be better stewards of the funds our supporters entrust us with.
You can see this vehicle has a lot of character. She deserves a name, so we’d like you to help us name our new truck. On our website, you may send us your name suggestion through our contact page. We’ll announce the winner in the November Africa Messenger.
