March 14th, 2008 to April 5th,
2008
PES Journey of Hope Trip to Southern Sudan
This March-April, The Journey of Hope 2008
team will consist of 13 PES volunteers, including 4 Lost Boys,
who will travel to the villages of Konbek, Pagok, Gopmeth and
Maar/Paliau in southern Sudan. In Sudan, the group will be
implementing teacher strategy workshops to train primary and
secondary school teachers and adult income literacy workshops
for women to learn basic math and accounting skills to run a
business around the grinding mills and sewing machines delivered
to each school site. This year they will deliver three more
grinding mills to each of the three villages that they visit to
help emancipate the girls and women from the hours of hand
grinding in order to attend school. In addition, the team will
be supervising the drilling of a well and negotiating with
village elders in Pagok for a third school site. They will be
doing follow up monitoring and assessment of work in progress as
well.
Click here to read coverage of the Walk for Sudan in Your Hub.
Event Details for the Walk for Sudan:
A 5-K walk to benefit Project Education Sudan and five other local non-profit organizations that support Sudan.
Saturday, October 20th, 2007
1:00 – 3:30 pm at Campus Middle School/Cherry Creek State Park
Sponsored by Project Education Sudan with local non-profits participating: Nuba Water Project, Africa Today Associates, Women 4 Women – Knitting for Peace, CSAW (Community of Sudanese and American Women), and Equatorian Sudanese Community Association.
On August 25th, five of the Lost Boys and a handful of American PES volunteers traveled to Taos, New Mexico for a fundraiser at the Gallery on the Green at the Taos Country Club. The benefit was hosted by Betsy Carey and featured dancing and singing by the Lost Boys and paintings created by local artists. Half of the proceeds from all artwork sold at the event are being donated to PES by the artists. The artwork not sold at the event will be on display at the country club and for sale until early January 2008 with fifty percent of the proceeds continuing to be donated to PES.
This is the second time the Lost Boys have been invited to Taos; last spring, they attended a screening of the documentary film The Lost Boys of Sudan and One Story: Isaac Khor Bher. Over $1,500 was raised for treadle sewing machines for the Ayak Anguei Girls School in Isaac’s village of Konbek. The young men were guests at Taos Pueblo where they met and were hosted by several elders.
PES was invited to the Taos, New Mexico by Rivers & Birds a Non-profit
dedicated to conservation education and biological research that supports
sustainable cultural traditions and natural heritage. The local Taos
school Peace Jam Club first heard about us through the Peace Jam in
Denver and initiated the invitation. The Taos Pueblo Indians opened
their homes, hearts and pueblo to receive “Lost Boys" Isaac Khor
Bher, Lual Awok, Peter Alier Garang, Peter Madut Garang, John Panrach
Mach and "Lost Girl" Akon Ezekiel. They were honored by a
special Taos Pueblo ceremony by the Governor, Lt. Governor, War Chief
and elders. It was a very rare and special opportunity for the Sudanese
youth and Taos Pueblo elders to share common cultural traditions and
heritage. Watch a video of the Lost Boys at the pueblo below.
From
March 28 – 30, Executive Director Carol Francis-Rinehart and former
intern Emily Broyles traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to bring Project Education
Sudan to the 11th Annual Shepard Symposium for Social
Justice at the University of Wyoming. This year’s theme
was Children’s Hopes for Peace, Our Dreams for Justice. Project
Education Sudan presented several times throughout the symposium, including
the opening plenary panel where co-founder Isaac Khor Bher’s powerful
documentary One Story was the highlight of the session.
The conversation about the needs of Southern Sudan continued with the
Keynote speaker, Christopher Quinn, who screened his new documentary God Grew Tired of Us at the Shepard Symposium on March 29th. God Grew Tired of Us is a highly acclaimed documentary, which
follows several Lost Boys of Sudan from their home in a refugee camp
in Kenya throughout the first five years of life in America after they
were resettled in the West. Mr. Quinn’s candid and heartfelt remarks
about this film clearly illustrated his passion for telling a compelling
story and ignited the audience to get more involved in helping reconstruct
Southern Sudan. Project Education Sudan was proud to stand next
to Mr. Quinn at this important symposium.
The symposium, which began as the Symposium for the Eradication of Social
Inequality, was renamed in 2003 to honor the work of the Shepard family
and the memory of their son, Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming
student and social activist. The symposium works as a living reminder
of the need for information and dialogue about social justice concerns
in the United States and beyond. Project Education Sudan was thrilled
with the level of interest and commitment found among the motivated
participants and we look forward to future involvement with the Shepard
Symposium, the University of Wyoming and the entire Laramie community.
Monday, February 12
Vail Symposium
Vail Mountain School, Vail
6-7:30pm
$10 suggested donation
“One Story”: Memories of a Lost Boy
Isaac Khor Bher & Carol Francis-Rinehart, co-founders of Project
Education Sudan
Join us for this special evening, as we present “One Story,” a short
documentary that captures the compelling and poignant memories of
Isaac Khor Bher, from his dislocation from family in Southern Sudan
at the age of six, to walking barefoot for 1,000 miles to an
Ethiopian refugee camp with 30,000 other war orphans.
Project Education Sudan Executive Director, Carol Francis-Rinehart,
will talk about their shared vision in founding the organization and
its mission of building a primary and secondary education
infrastructure including schools, teachers and school supplies in
communities throughout Southern Sudan.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Denver Eclectics
Denver, Colorado
Program 10:00 am
Crisis and Opportunity: Southern Sudan and
Hope for Darfur, presented by Kelly Kinner and Carol
Francis-Rinehart.
This presentation will begin with Kelly Kinner, professor at the
University of Colorado at Boulder in the School of Journalism and
Mass Communication. Kelly will give an overview of the
historical context of the complexities of the crisis in Darfur,
beginning with the civil war in southern Sudan in 1983. Kelly
will then address media coverage of the Darfur crisis, addressing
both the lack of coverage and the lack of positive developments in
the aftermath of the civil war.
Carol Rinehart, Executive Director of Project Education Sudan, will
address the impact the civil war had on southern Sudanese regarding
the genocide that took more than 2 million lives. Carol will
share the social infrastructure problems, land issues and emotional
trauma that the Southern Sudanese have had to endure, and the
resiliency in which they are moving forward with rebuilding their
lives. She will also address hope for the region, based on her
experience with her work in Southern Sudan and her perspective as a
volunteer working with African refugees for over 25 years.
February 3, 2007
Silent Auction and Gala Event Dinner
5:00 pm
Hyatt Regency Tech Center
Denver, Colorado
Things are moving quickly for Project Education Sudan! We are
delighted to welcome back our dedicated Journey of Hope team, who
traveled into southern Sudan from December 25 to January 16.
They have shared with us their moving stories of new hope for
education in this war-torn region. The team will be making a
complete report on the trip, with a multi-media presentation at the
gala. Please come to hear this wonderful story and meet the
team in person!
We also have received word that Ambassador Timothy Carney has been
asked by the State Department to lead the new reconstruction efforts
in Iraq and will be leaving very soon for Baghdad. Tim, we
wish you the very best for this challenging new assignment!
We were delighted to learn that his wife, Victoria Butler, will
deliver the keynote at the gala. She will talk about the work
she and Tim have done for the State Department in Sudan and the
prospects for long term peace and stability.
Together with Michael
Freeman and Tim, she has written a beautiful illustrated book called
Sudan: The Land and the People, and will be presenting to us the
slide show from the book that was originally presented to the Royal
Geographical Society.
Vicki served as
Information Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees and headed the office producing educational materials for
the United Nations Mission in Cambodia.
As a freelance writer, she has worked
for Time Magazine, the Toronto Globe and Mail, Voice of America, NBC
News, and APTV. Her stories have appeared in numerous
magazines around the world including International Wildlife,
Reader's Digest, and Eastern Economic Review. She wrote the
text for two illustrated books on Indonesian artists.
She has lived and traveled
extensively in Sudan.
Individual tickets for the event are $75, with a special price of
$50 for educators.
January 31, 2007
International Night
6:30-7:00 pm
Field Elementary
5402 South Sherman Way
Littleton, CO 80121
Sudanese Lost Boy Daniel
Gai will speak at Field Elementary's Internation Night on
January 31st. The event also highlights the Kissidugu
Percussion and Dance Group. In addition, Field Elementary
student will share some of their international connections from
their IB units.
December 25, 2006 to January 16,
2007
PES Journey of Hope to Southern Sudan
PES is taking a team to Southern Sudan to assess two
boarding schools and to reunite 5 "Lost Boys" with their
"found" parents.
The dedicated team of 6 Sudanese
and 6 Americans includes:
-Carol Rinehart, Executive Director of PES who will assess
teacher/student curricular needs
-Rich Rinehart, Board Member who will teach accounting systems
to our partners in the field, Jonglei Development Society
-Ray Stranske, Board Member, who is teaching and working alongside the local construction people to introduce and teach a new
latex roofing method
-Martha Riley, Eaglecrest High School AVID teacher and Steering
committee member, who will coordinate all teacher/student
circular assessment
-David Ruskay, owner of Positive Energy Company who is
installing solar energy on a previously existing school
-Jeff and Lauren Larsen, who will assess the need for boreholes
-The University of Denver, Africa
Today Associates representative, Frederick Agyeman-duah, has
visited Maar working on medical assessment to
build a health clinic.
The "Lost Boys of Sudan" who are
joining the team are:
-Isaac Khor Bher, Co-founder/VP of PES, who will introduce and
teach the local contractors a new latex roofing method
-Lual Peter Awok, Solar specialist, who will work on the solar
installation
-Ayuel Yiep Koch, DU Daniels School of Business Accounting Major
who will teach accounting methods
-Panther Abuk Kuol, UC Denver who is the field coordinator for
the borehole drilling
-Abraham John Panchol, RTD Driver who is translator support for
curricular assessment
-Jacob Lueth, translator support
All 5 young men are also being
reunited with their families whom they have not seen in over 20
years due to the war in southern Sudan in the 1980's-90's.
The team planning has been in
full gear since August 2006. We depart December 25, 2006,
arriving back in Denver January 16, 2007.
The energy, dedication and long
hours the team members are putting into this, all volunteer
time, is inspiring. We are all very grateful to you, OUR
DONORS, for making this possible. We ARE making a difference one
village at a time!
November 17, 2006
An Evening with the Lost Boys of Sudan
Eaglecrest High School
7:00 p.m. in the Theater
5100 South Picadilly St. Centennial, Colorado
The program for the evening includes: - Special showing of Lost Boy Isaac Khor Bher's short
documentary 'One Story'
- Commentary by Isaac and other Lost Boys
- Dancing by Eaglecrest Dance Company and Lost Boys
- African Jewelry Sale
Buy tickets at the box office the week of November 13th or call 720-886-1002 to reserve tickets and pick them up the
night of the show.
November 11, 2006
Building Bridges of Hope - A Benefit for Project Education Sudan
Hosted by Rudy and Kathi Harburg
6:00 - 9:00pm
1020 Mapleton Avenue - Boulder, Colorado
$50 per person - Spirits and hors d’ oeuvres
Event Chair – Deb Iole
Join us for a fundraising evening. Meet
the Sudanese and American team who will be going to Southern Sudan
this December to build and reunify four “Lost Boys”. The short
documentary “One Story” will be shown.
Please RSVP by November 3, 2006 to 303-316-4528
October 21st, 2006
Community of Sudanese and American Women (CSAW) www.csawcolorado.org
Under the auspices of the Boulder Public Library Foundation CSAW
will hold a benefit at the Boulder Public Library for the 26
Sudanese young women and their dependents whom they are helping to
resettle in Boulder. They plan to sell the new Sudan note cards
and original art work, have traditional food, music, dancing, and
story-telling. Please see their website www.csawcolorado.org for
on-going information about the organization. We hope you will save
this date and join in on the fun.
September 15-17, 2006 PeaceJam
University of Denver
SEE OUR PEACE JAM PHOTOS HERE! PeaceJam is an international educational program built around
leading Nobel Peace laureates who work personally with youth 14 to
19 years of age to pass on the spirit, skills and wisdom they
embody. The goal of PeaceJam is to create young leaders who
are committed to positive change in themselves, their local
communities and the world.
Join the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Rigoberta Menchu
Tum and 9 other Nobel Peace Prize winners and 3,000 youth from
around the world at this extraordinary event.
It is with great
pleasure that PES announces that the Lost Boys of Sudan and Project
Education Sudan will be represented at this year's event. Isaac
Khor Bher will represent the Lost Boys community in Denver and PES.
Students will attend a break out session where they will watch his
documentary and be able to ask him questions. Students from
Arapahoe High School's Amnesty International club will staff the PES
booth, in order to let participants know how they can help spread
awareness about the situations in southern Sudan.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit
www.peacejam.org.
Art and Artifacts: Paintings of Southern Sudan
Hosted by John and Cindy Harris, owners of Belcaro Painting
and Decorating Center
May 12, 2006
Many thanks to the donors and volunteers who made this unique
fundraising event a great success! Several of these sensitive
and beautifully realized works are still available for sale and can
be seen in Denver locations.
Paintings
from photographs taken by Carol Rinehart and Lost Boy Isaac Khor
Bher, recently returned from a trip to Southern Sudan to reunite
Isaac with his mother whom he believed he had lost to the civil war
twenty years ago. The evening included a performance of
singing and dancing by the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Driscoll Ballroom, University of Denver
March 11, 2006
Over 250 people attended the
Gala Dinner, sponsored by Littleton Public Schools, the
Center for Teaching International Relations, Amnesty
International and Project Education Sudan. The keynote
speaker, General Majak D'Agoot, gave an outstanding speech
about the need for schools in Southern Sudan. Overall the
night was a huge success. During his visit to Denver,
General Majak also met with the Sudanese community of
Colorado, and attended a private reception in his honor.
On August 25th, five of the Lost Boys and a handful of American PES volunteers traveled to Taos, New Mexico for a fundraiser at the Gallery on the Green at the Taos Country Club. The benefit was hosted by Betsy Carey and featured dancing and singing by the Lost Boys and paintings created by local artists. Half of the proceeds from all artwork sold at the event are being donated to PES by the artists. The artwork not sold at the event will be on display at the country club and for sale until early January 2008 with fifty percent of the proceeds continuing to be donated to PES.
From
March 28 – 30, Executive Director Carol Francis-Rinehart and former
intern Emily Broyles traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to bring Project Education
Sudan to the 11th Annual Shepard Symposium for Social
Justice at the University of Wyoming. This year’s theme
was Children’s Hopes for Peace, Our Dreams for Justice. Project
Education Sudan presented several times throughout the symposium, including
the opening plenary panel where co-founder Isaac Khor Bher’s powerful
documentary One Story was the highlight of the session.
The conversation about the needs of Southern Sudan continued with the
Keynote speaker, Christopher Quinn, who screened his new documentary God Grew Tired of Us at the Shepard Symposium on March 29th. God Grew Tired of Us is a highly acclaimed documentary, which
follows several Lost Boys of Sudan from their home in a refugee camp
in Kenya throughout the first five years of life in America after they
were resettled in the West. Mr. Quinn’s candid and heartfelt remarks
about this film clearly illustrated his passion for telling a compelling
story and ignited the audience to get more involved in helping reconstruct
Southern Sudan. Project Education Sudan was proud to stand next
to Mr. Quinn at this important symposium.
