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Make a donation to Project Education Sudan and provide children and adults in Sudan hope for a better future
Read about Project Education Sudan in the Denver Post
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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STEERING COMMITTEE Carol Francis-Rinehart
INTERNS |
A New Start in Southern Sudan  Like
a newborn
emerging into the light of the world, a new life is beginning in
Southern Sudan. After decades of catastrophic civil strife, a
delicate peace has been created through careful negotiation among factions that had only know war and distrust for
more than a generation.As a new sense of order falls upon the land, thousands of displaced refugees are returning to their home villages, places which now they barely know. For most, their return home will be greeted by destroyed communities, inadequate infrastructure and entrenched poverty. The twenty-year internal conflict in Southern Sudan has taken a heavy toll on the people. Thousands of lives have been lost, and thousands of families have been displaced. Since the signing of the peace treaty in early 2005, many international organizations and governments are committing resources to develop safe water sources, food supplies, healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Many families found refuge outside Southern Sudan in camps located in Kenya, Uganda, Egypt and in Northern Sudan in Khartoum. Other families moved to developed countries in Europe, Australia and North America. Education is a key ingredient in the decision for these families to return home. For families that remained in Southern Sudan during the internal conflict, there is an entire generation of uneducated or undereducated people. Education is key to the rebuilding of self-esteem and the capacity of families and individuals to become economically and socially self-reliant.  Our
intention is to build, staff, train and supply primary and secondary schools
throughout Southern Sudan as funds are available. Our first school will
be a co-ed secondary school in the Maar area of Bor North which should
be constructed during 2007. Our 2nd school will be a primary all girls’
boarding school in Konbeek Bor South and should be constructed during
2008. We expect to build one or two schools each year for the next five
to ten years. By the end of 2010 we anticipate to have built, staffed
and supported ten to twelve primary and secondary schools.Goals and Objectives The focus of Project Education Sudan (PES) will be to build a primary and secondary education infrastructure including schools, teachers and school supplies in communities throughout the South. Sustained prosperity is dependent on the ability of children and adults to receive primary and secondary education and skills training. We will work in harmony with other international and indigenous organizations whose focus is the rebuilding of Southern Sudan. Central to the success of building community in Southern Sudan is the creation of self-sufficiency. PES will work in cooperation with village elders and village councils to determine whether the commitment necessary to build, staff and provide student populations exists. The economic impact of a school in a remote village is greater than the benefit of education itself. The schools will be built by paid local laborers under the supervision of an engineer. The headmaster, teachers and healthcare workers will live in the village and purchase goods and services with their salaries. Each village will receive cinder block making equipment which can be used to manufacture cinder block for sale to other villagers or nearby communities upon completion of the school. We supply each school with a grain grinding mill to emancipate the girls to go to school as well as creating economic opportunity for the women of the village. An educated village community will attract other economic opportunities over time. Organization and Accountability  The
executive director of PES is Carol Francis Rinehart, an experienced educator
who has nurtured and supported the Sudanese community in her home town
of Denver. She journeyed to Southern Sudan in 2005 with Isaac Khor
Bher to reunite him with his family and to assess firsthand the need and
opportunities for new schools. She and Isaac returned with a vision
and a plan, and together founded Project Education Sudan. Read
their moving story here. Carol will oversee the activities of PES. Funds made available to us from US sources will require strict accountability and will be released as progress is made on specific projects. We will fund teacher training and supplies for specific schools. The focus of PES is to build trust in relationships, cooperation among people, integrity and transparency. These values will guide us in our dealings with village communities and funding sources. It is expected that annual trips to Sudan supported through US funding sources will allow us to meet village leaders, visit schools and witness the educational experiences of students to further assure our success. We will use the UNICEF model for accountability in funding projects, project inspection and verification of spending requests by indigenous non-governmental organizations. Fundraising  We expect to build long-term ties and commitments from corporations, churches,
foundations, schools and individuals in the United States. Many
organizations are responding positively to the idea of sponsoring a specific
school. They are willing to raise money to build the school and
staff and supply the school for several years. This model allows
donors to become stakeholders in a specific community and to participate
in its success over the long run. We believe that this is a model
which can be replicated each year as we identify new communities who are
ready and interested in having a school in their community.We will build and maintain relationships between the communities in Sudan and the churches, foundations, schools and individuals in the US. We anticipate exchanges and visits from our US benefactors annually or bi-annually to see their schools and to build relationships with the communities in Sudan. Summary These are exciting and fragile times in Sudan. The peace has occurred only in the past year. The opportunity to create hope for the future is something which is foreign to most people in Sudan. The efforts of those who care and want to make a difference can help all Sudanese to build momentum and hope in the months and years to come. Education is the key. Schools in the Maar area are the start of what could lead to initiatives by other regions in Southern Sudan focused on education and self-sufficiency. |
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