Home
Our journey
Our projects
Historical overview
Resources
Events
How you can help

page 3

After our joyous celebration reunifying Isaac with his mother, we headed back to Baidit to hopefully catch a plane to Paliau, North Bor.  Rain and lack of available planes forced us to return to Lokichokio.  We waited for three days before a plane finally came and we were off to Paliau where I was to distribute more envelopes of messages, photos and money to families.  We were warmly received everywhere we went. “Kawaja, Kawaja”, (which is slang for white person) was called out from the children everywhere I appeared.

I had one precious envelope left. It was for delivery to our other Sudanese son’s mother in Paliau.  Ayuel Yiep Koch was only 4 years old when he was separated from his family.  I met his mother, Malong Akech, along with his older brother Deng Koch and his sister Athou Yiep.  I told them about the major surgery on his foot that the University Of Colorado Hospital performed for free and relayed the news that Ayuel had received a full scholarship from the University of Denver’s Daniel’s School of Business.  Her message to Ayuel was not to come back as a farmer, but to continue his education.  The family honored Bol, Isaac and me with a beautiful white goat for slaughter and celebration.

The next day we walked for two hours to Maar, the home of Archdeacon Bol Deng.  We were greeted on the road by the whole village marching, singing, and drumming with their Dinka crosses held high with pride.  Bol was home from America!  He is so dearly loved and respected by his people in Maar.  They came in droves to greet and welcome him home.  We sat in white plastic chairs of honor draped in cloth, graciously receiving all who came to pay their respects.

We spent the days visiting the Reverend Marc Nikkel Cathedral Primary School, talking with the headmaster, teachers, chiefs and elders, assessing the idea for building a secondary boarding school.  As we surveyed land sites for the school on high ground above the encroaching Nile canal waters, we came upon an elder named Lual.  He asked what we were looking for and we said land for a secondary school.  The next day, at a gathering in the church, meeting with the local chiefs, leaders, Episcopal priests and the communities of Maar & Paliau, Lual presented the village of Maar with his cattle camp land for the school!  The community support and their blessing was a reflection of the trust and relationship we had begun.

Maar is prepared for the idea of equal education for girls and boys.  Girls already make up 40% of the primary classes.  We will be building a boarding school which would house the students, especially girls, so they will be able to study without the burden of chores in place of homework.  In order to free the girls from grinding grain, which is currently done with mortar and pestle, we will provide grinding machines to allow them the opportunity to attend school.  The grain grinding machines will also allow the women and mothers to generate income that would add to a micro economy for the local village.  Likewise, providing a brick making machine for construction of the school, could, in turn, be used for local projects, creating further economic opportunity.

Life is difficult in Southern Sudan; there is not enough food, clean water or health clinics.  Dysentery, yellow fever, malaria, river blindness, and many other illnesses are a part of their daily lives.  In spite of it all, I was struck by the spirit and the deep, unwavering faith of the people I met and was humbled by what little the people have and live with.  As a former teacher I was especially moved by their desire for education and learning.  There is hope that we, by doing our little part, village by village, can make a difference in the lives of the Southern Sudanese living in the most remote and rural areas.

Coming home, Isaac and I realized that we had to respond.  Out of our experience of reuniting Isaac with his mother, seeing the need for schools and education and providing new bore holes with cleaner water, we formed a non-profit organization: Project Education Sudan.  Several high schools in Denver are responding by coming together to create community among themselves by collaborating in building schools in Southern Sudan.  Local churches, synagogues, businesses and individuals are coming together to help as well.  We are in partnership with a group who are helping put in clean bore holes wherever a school is built to provide a safe water supply.

Another trip to Southern Sudan is planned for late 2006.  We will be accompanied by engineers and local school teachers to teach construction, solar power energy methods, dig new and cleaner bore holes, train Sudanese teachers on the new curriculum, and provide grain grinders for the women.  We will work together to create ownership, pride and hope.  With every trip we are dedicated to reunifying a “Lost Boy or Girl” with their family.  We go forth to rebuild not only the land, but, confidence, family reunification, hope and faith in the future.
 

Project Education Sudan ▪ P.O. Box 6851 ▪ Denver, Colorado 80206-6851
(303) 316-4528 ▪ info@ProjectEducationSudan.org