South Sudan
South Sudan is located in northeastern Africa. It gained its freedom July 9, 2011 and became the world’s newest independent country after decades of war with Sudan. The Republic of South Sudan has incredible challenges to overcome as they begin the task of building a nation in an area where war has displaced millions of people and the internal infrastructures of a society are all but nonexistent.
The new nation has many humanitarian challenges to address:
- As of October 2015, 1.6 million people are displaced inside South Sudan and over 640,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to the UN Humanitarian Overview.
The school and the education provided there helps to promote and enable those who have suffered from war and displaced refugees returning home to rebuild their lives by providing education, one of the necessary foundations of a community.
- Currently, as many as 7.5 million people (nearly ⅔ of South Sudan's population) suffer from food insecurity, according to the UN Humanitarian Overview.
The school provides a hot and nutritious daily lunch to 249 students.
- The 2016 UN Humanitarian Overview reports that 85% percent of the working population is engaged in non-wage work, chiefly in agriculture.
Our graduates are becoming doctors, nurses, teachers, ministers, administrators, and the strong leadership needed in South Sudan.
- Child soldiers in South Sudan remain one of the UN Human Rights Council's greatest concerns.
The school provides a safe place for children to learn and grow. In addition to academic work they are also learning and being given tools to work toward peace and justice reconciliation.
- South Sudan ranks 6th in the top 10 countries with the highest child-marriage rates according the 2015 UNICEF report, “State of the World’s Children”.
Our method of encouraging and teaching the people of South Sudan about the importance of educating woman and providing a safe place to accomplish this delays marriage and works toward ending this practice.
- 1 out of 6 women who become pregnant will die due to complications in childbirth.
Delaying early marriage by putting girls in school allows these young women to grow and develop before giving birth, which helps prevent premature pregnancy and deaths related to this practice.
- Only 16% of South Sudanese children ever go to school and only 1.9% complete primary school.
We have been successfully graduating students since 2011, and they continue to have an exceptional success on national examination. Our graduates are becoming the most educated people in South Sudan.
- South Sudan has the second lowest literacy rate in the world, at only 27% of the adult population.
We are currently educating 249 (100 girls and 149 boys) students and making an impact toward increasing literacy in South Sudan.
- 80% of the population has no access to toilet facilities.
Our school campus has girls and boys latrines.
- The average household lives 45 minutes from the nearest water source.
Our school campus has two wells, providing clean water for our students and teachers.
- South Sudan remains one of the Red Cross International Committee’s top concerns.
South Sudan remains Hope for Humanity, Inc.’s partners top concern as well. Please consider joining us in our mission to eliminate illiteracy and poverty in South Sudan.
