Educating Girl Groups in South Sudan

Shara’s family fled to Uganda when fighting broke out in 2013. Armed conflict among South Sudanese was tearing this brand-new country apart, having just gained independence from Sudan two years earlier – on July 9, 2011. They made it to safety and settled in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Northern Uganda. This is where I first met Shara in 2017, along with Dr. Lawrence Wongo, one of our board members.

Shara was ten (10) years old and in third grade. I asked her if she wanted to go to school. She was then a very shy little girl and could not look me in the eyes, but without hesitation, she answered, “yes, I want to go to school right now”. I assured her that we would offer her the opportunity to join a well-established boarding school in the nearby district of Arua. Shara is now a teenager, in 10^th grade, and enrolled at St. Mary Secondary School, still happy she can continue to study.

Early this year, Dr. Lawrence and I traveled to Uganda to visit the students supported by Girls With Books! I visited Shara’s school and met her and all the other students. I asked Shara about her future goals and what she intended to accomplish after completing secondary school. Shara smiled and thanked the organization for paying her tuition fees at such a prestigious and beautiful boarding school and for the great support she has received from Girls With Books! since 2017, support that her impoverished parents are unable to provide. She acknowledged that without the support from Girls With Books!, she could not be where she is today. Shara considers herself lucky to be in school instead of isolated in the refugee settlement without the opportunity of education.

Shara is a talented girl who aspires to be a lawyer. She wants to make a lasting impact in the world, especially in the lives of girls who are in the same situation as her friends still in Bidibidi. Based on her report card, she has consistently demonstrated determination, resilience, and unwavering commitment to her studies. She has shown strong intellectual curiosity in social studies subjects, as well as life outside the classroom, Shara is popular among her peers, thanks to her outgoing personality

Shara’s accomplishments show that your valuable contributions have not only made a huge difference, but also changed her situation and that of the other South Sudanese girls to pursue their dreams. We believe that education has the power to transform girls like Shara, helping them become future participants in building the nation of South Sudan.

We feel honored to be a part of Shara’s remarkable journey, and we eagerly look forward to her continued growth and success as she embarks on her dream to become a lawyer. With your help, we will continue to empower the girls, inspire change, and support the next generation of South Sudanese girls in their pursuit of a brighter future and a better world. Project Education South Sudan now operates under the name Girls With Books!, but our work is the same, and we deeply appreciate your help.

With gratitude,

Micklina Kenyi,

Executive Director