Keep 100 Girls in School in Juba City Using Meals

Project Report: Keep 100 Girls Learning through School Meals
Location: Rainbow Primary School, Tonj South County
Implementing Partner: South Sudan Grassroots Initiative for Development (SSGID)
Supported by: Individual Donors through the GlobalGiving Fundraising Platform

A Story of Ten Girls – Learning Without Hunger
In the early morning sun of Tonj South, ten schoolgirls sit together in a neat row, their faces bright with anticipation. Not long ago, their mornings were different; many skipped breakfast, some stayed home to do chores, and others walked to school on empty stomachs, unable to focus on their lessons. Today, thanks to the generosity of individual donors through the GlobalGiving platform, each girl begins her school day with a hot bowl of sorghum porridge enriched with peanuts and vegetables grown in the community garden. Their giggles and chatter fill the air as they enjoy the meal that keeps them energized for class.

Activities and Progress
Since the start of the project, SSGID has been providing daily school meals to ten girls at Rainbow Primary School. Local mothers and grandmothers volunteer to cook, using fresh produce grown nearby. Teachers have reported an impressive rise in attendance; nearly every one of the ten girls now attends school regularly, and they notice better concentration and participation during lessons. Parents have joined monthly forums to learn about nutrition and the importance of supporting their daughters’ education, creating a strong link between school and home.

Community Involvement and Impact
Behind every meal is a team effort: fathers supply firewood, mothers rotate cooking duties, and school committees ensure that food is fairly distributed and no girl is left behind. These ten girls are now thriving and alert in class, performing better in reading and arithmetic, and boldly sharing their dreams of becoming teachers, nurses, and engineers. What began as a simple meal has become a movement of hope and determination within the community.

Looking Ahead
The transformation of these ten girls is inspiring other families to enroll their daughters in school. With continued support from individual donors through GlobalGiving, SSGID aims to scale up this initiative to reach 100 girls in Tonj South, ensuring that more children stay in class, learn with dignity, and look forward to a future filled with opportunities.

Links:

• SSGID COMPAIGN to Empower a Teacher in South Sudan

Keep 100 Girls Learning through School Meals

Under the blistering sun of early morning, a line of twenty eager faces gathers outside Rainbow PriAluel’s kitchen hut. Among them is Aluel, a bright-eyed ten-year-old whose thin frame and faded uniform once told a story of hunger and hardship. Today, she carries with her a wide smile because today, she’s about to receive her first hot meal of the day.

A Day in Aluel’s Life:

Before SSGID arrived, Aluel would leave home at dawn, stomach growling, clutching an empty tin can. Some days she skipped classes entirely, settling instead for chores—fetching water, tending goats so that her younger siblings might eat. On the rare mornings she did make it to school, her concentration drifted with every pang of hunger.

Now, the “Keeping 100Girls Learning” pilot is changing everything. As the sun peeks over the horizon, community volunteers light a fire under a big iron pot. Local cooks, mothers, and grandmothers from nearby villages stir a savory porridge of sorghum, peanuts, and leafy greens grown in SSGID’s partner community garden. The rich aroma drifts across the compound, drawing Aluel and her friends from their classrooms.

The Transformative Power of One Meal:

When Aluel sits down with the other girls to eat, something remarkable happens: her laughter returns. She leans over to Monica, her best friend, and points to the steaming bowl. “Can you believe this is ours?” she whispers. Over simple spoonfuls, they exchange dreams of becoming teachers, nurses, even engineers, ideas that once felt impossible on an empty stomach.

Teachers watch in awe as attendance climbs each week. Where once five or six girls might arrive, now all twenty are present, eager for lessons on reading, arithmetic, and health. Their eyes, once dull with fatigue, now sparkle. And as the pilot continues, even the boys have begun asking if they too can help carry firewood or wash pots, proud participants in this circle of care.

Community Roots, Lasting Impact:

Behind every meal sits a web of local hands. Parents attend monthly nutrition-and-education forums, where SSGID staff share simple recipes and parenting tips. School committees keep meticulous attendance records; mothers volunteer to guard the store of grain; and village elders advocate for girls’ right to learn, sending messages at community gatherings that resonate far beyond Rainbow PriAluel’s fence.

From Twenty to One Thousand:

This story began with Monica and nineteen other girls. But as word spreads across Tonj South County, more families ask, “How can our daughters join?” With each success, measured in bright faces, rising test scores, and fewer drop-outs, we grow more confident. Our vision is clear: scale from twenty girls here to one thousand across the county, each one a story of hope reborn.