Unleash the leaders: 400 girls in South Sudan

Daniel, the Executive Director of Project Education South Sudan moved his young family back to South Sudan in the early fall of 2015. Daniel’s wife and two small children, along with 2 other young relatives were living in an apartment in Nairobi for a year and a half, waiting for things to calm down politically and militarily in South Sudan. Daniel was traveling back and forth from South Sudan to Nairobi so he could have time with his family while still continuing the work in the Bor area of South Sudan. Sporadic fighting between rebel and government forces finally died down enough for them to feel it was safe enough for the whole family to return to Bor. They have been there for several months, and now the town of Bor is filling back up and the surrounding villages and rural areas that Daniel serves are repopulating as well. Daniel rented an office in Bor, so that he can be more effective in the work he is doing. 

We continue our gratitude to all of you for sharing your hard earned dollars to support Daniel in his efforts to rebuild this impoverished and war-torn country. You are truly making a difference! Here are some of the recent accomplishments: 

• Funds have been raised for two new wells at school sites to be drilled so that school kids at school can have water that is safe to drink, and to eliminate many of the intestinal diseases that keep kids from studying. The drilling of these wells has been contracted and the work will be done during this dry season (which lasts until May or June).
• Families are returning to the Bor area, so the number of young people of school age is increasing, and so are the numbers of girls who are receiving scholarship assistance for their schooling. This program is very helpful, as there are many families who have parents who have died in the conflict or who are unemployed and do not have the money to send their kids to school. Project Education South Sudan continues its close working relationship with She’s The First on this school sponsorship program and there are several other girls who are sponsored by individuals giving directly to PESS. Sponsorship includes payment of school tuition and fees and other non-educational costs for girls who are in various schools in the Bor and Juba areas of South Sudan.
• Listen to the goals and aspirations of some of the girls who are receiving sponsorship support from Project Education South Sudan: 

o   Grace wants a career as a doctor. She says being a doctor is a lifesaving work. “Doctors are second to God and I love to work with people, especially women and children,” 

o   Aluel wants to be a pilot. “I want to be the first female pilot in South Sudan.” She is passionate about her profession, and determined to complete at the highest educational level. 

o   Awuoi says, “I want to invent new things because our county is full of different minerals and I’m thrilled to have an engineering career.” 

• PESS works closely with other NGOs who operate in Jonglei State, and the new office space in Bor gives Daniel the ability to interact with many of them and to better coordinate service to families in the area. PESS also works closely with the State Education Cluster to increase its effectiveness. Building community leaders and regularly meeting with them is a key part of the effort.