Help Lost Boys Support Education & Peace

“From education comes wisdom, and from wisdom comes peace.” These are words offered to Mothering Across Continents and our Raising South Sudan team by former Lost Boy of Sudan James Lubo Mijak when we first began building and supporting schools and education in South Sudan. In light of conflict that began in South Sudan in December 2013, the words are even more true and meaningful.

So, we’re writing to you with our quarterly update to donors from our Global Giving campaign and project “Support Lost Boys Building Schools in South Sudan.”

In May, we shared that the first primary school built in Lubo’s home village of Nyarweng had re-opened, and it has remained so. Also, the Gumriak orphanage and school that we help support in Pariang town (Nyarweng village and Pariang town are both in Pariang County, Unity State, South Sudan) is open and operating with its highest enrollment ever – more than 120 students. We hope you will celebrate this with us, given that Unity State was one of the three states in South Sudan most affected by the fighting and disagreements between the current national government and opposition rebels. As our Board and Raising South Sudan team member Phillips Bragg says, “The greatest accomplishment is how life and this project goes on in the face of challenges.”

There’s other good news:

o   We’ve sent funds to supplement teacher stipends and basic food for students in Nyarweng. Government support for teachers and World Food Programme distribution of foodstuffs was suspended during the conflict.

o   We’re providing a stipend to allow former Lost Boy James Manyror to return to South Sudan in October to support Gumriak (which he founded) and work with Lubo to coordinate progress at Nyarweng. He will also help coordinate scholarships to students from former Lost Boy Ngor Kur Mayol’s village of Aliap so that they can attend Gumriak in 2015.

o   There are no textbooks available to our schools right now, so we are moving ahead with creation of mini-books in English that can be used by teachers and students at Nyarweng and Gumriak. Through a relationship with literacy and early reading experts at the South Sudan Institute, we are exploring how this project might serve other schools and communities in the future.  

o   The Memes for Peace Project started by students in North Carolina now has a curriculum available to US schools in conjunction with International Peace Day, September 21, 2014, and the public is able to sign virtual peace postcards to Congress through http://www.motheringacrosscontinents.org/MemesForPeace/.

The challenges, though, remain great. In June, The Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy Magazine released its latest index of the world’s most fragile states. South Sudan, the world’s newest country, was at the top of the list, reflecting the dual challenge of development and conflict. So, we are updating our Global Giving campaign page with a new name: “Help Lost Boys Support Education and Peace in South Sudan.” We have funds on hand to provide more teacher training and some supplemental food at Nyarweng. And plans are underway for a community peace and education festival in Nyarweng in December. Nevertheless, we still have “holes” in our plan. Funds are needed to:

o   Repair the school roof at Nyarweng, which was badly damaged during recent high winds

o   Fund uniforms, which the children at Nyarweng have never had

o   Build a semi-permanent classroom at Gumriak so that they can accept 25 scholarship students from Aliap.

We always welcome questions, suggestions, messages of support, and tax-deductible donations to support children in South Sudan: info@motheringacrosscontinents.org