Project Education Sudan

The Girls of South Sudan Have Exciting New Programs Coming Up

As my first post on Project Education South Sudan, I cannot even begin to share how inspiring speaking with one of the directors, Carol Rinehart, and learning about these girls has been. Whenever we have a Skype date scheduled I anxiously rush home from work to hear more about what these amazing girls are up to and learn about Carol’s travels to South Sudan as well. Though these girls have faced hardships recently, with violence close to the school, they anxiously await being able to go back to school at the end of April.

Meet some of the inspiring young ladies at Project Education South Sudan.

The girls have much to look forward to when they return to school, including finding out the results of their exams that they recently took. Last year 17 out of 23 girls graduated from primary school, in a country where just 0.8% of girls ever even attend primary school. There are also a few new amazing programs in the works that the girls will soon be able to immerse themselves in fully. Carol shared with me the following details about each of the areas that this new leadership program structure will cover:

The Girls’ Leadership Development (GLD) program is designed to support the education of young girls at Ayak Anguei Girls Primary Boarding School. The program will focus on a Student Leadership Program enhancing and educating young girls’ understanding of political participation, developing conflict resolution skills through the development of a more comprehensive student prefect school government program, developing decision-making and teambuilding skills, and supporting a healthier and more productive lifestyle for girls and their families through female health education.

Student Leadership Program: is to be implemented in Ayak Anguei Girls’ Primary School and will comprise of several learning components. Each component will integrate a holistic approach utilizing conflict resolution strategies. The development of this program draws upon CARE’s competency-based approach to leadership development, which focuses on developing a girl’s “power within” through the following characteristics: voice/assertion, decision-making, self-confidence, organization, and vision/ability to motivate others. By developing these competencies, girls are positioned to “gain public legitimacy” by developing social networks with other girls and community members and taking a civic action in the community. The student community civic action will be the implementation of a school community garden to demonstrate the CARE competency-based leadership components. It will include teacher and head master/matron leadership development, school prefect leaders & students, PTA, community elders, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Education.

Feminine Hygiene HIV/AIDS Education Program: is to be implemented at Ayak Anguei Girls Primary School with a focus to cut down on girls’ absenteeism due to monthly bleeding. Following a 2010-2012 distribution of reusable sanitary pads to girls, and completing a two year field study to measure the impact of pad use, there has shown measureable success in increased attendance. The implementation of the program consists of three educational components: 1) A reproductive health curriculum that addresses feminine hygiene and reproductive rights, 2) HIV/AIDS education, and 3) The implementation of a vocational training program that teaches girls how to sew their own sanitary pads and bring them to market.

The girls are incredibly excited to get back to school and start on these great opportunities that Project Education South Sudan is working on. I know that I cannot wait to hear more and more updates on how they are going and to tell all of you very soon!

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Project Education Sudan Welcomes New Team Member

{I recently had the opportunity to get in touch with Project Education Sudan’s new Administrative Assistant, Rosanne Juergens. She’s a fantastic woman with a heart for the children of South Sudan. I asked her a few questions about how she got involved with the organization, her dreams for the future, and what she’s the FIRST to accomplish in her family. Enjoy!}

STF: How did you get involved with PES?

RJ: Over two years ago Carol (PES founder and director) exhibited photos from her trip to South Sudan at The Women’s College where I was attending classes. The images of the women and girls were compelling and memorable. Not too long afterward, in my new role as President of Lambda Pi Eta, a National Communication Honor society on campus, our faculty advisor asked us to organize a campaign to collect underwear for the girls at our sister school Ayak Anguei. We called it the catchy phrase, “Bloomers for Bottoms.” We were able to collect 1600 pairs of panties for the girls. Later, I presented a summary of our work at a breakout session at the D.U. Women’s Conference this Spring, along with Carol and others who were instrumental in fundraising efforts for PES.

STF: What experiences shaped your passion for this work?

RJ: Initially, when I heard about the conditions that the girls had in their classrooms and sleeping arrangements, I was driven to collect the underwear to protect their little bottoms for when they sit or lie on the floor. Along the way, seeing the many donations that my fellow students made to help out, it inspired my passion to represent a collective voice to the girls that The Women’s College felt a connection to our little sisters. The fantastic letters that we received from the girls after Carol’s trip to deliver the bookpacks and panties made the connection more vivid, and keeps my passion alive.

STF: What are you hoping to accomplish with PES in the future?

RJ: My new position enables me to learn more about the other schools that PES has built, the people in the villages, and the liaisons who do our work there. I hope to be an asset to the organization after I learn all the in’s and out’s of my position!

STF: What is the most rewarding part of working on behalf of children in South Sudan?

RJ: Knowing that doing my little part all adds up to the bigger picture of empowering young girls in South Sudan, under their very tough conditions.

STF: STF is all about advocating for the education of girls around the world. What message about girls’ education would you like to send?

RJ: Education opens your eyes to the many possibilities of life, family and community, and connects you to history, social issues and creativity. It’s never too late to start, as I have just finished my bachelor’s degree as a “non-traditional” student. I have a 21 year old son, and I feel that going back to school later in life was a good example to set for him.

STF: We’re proud to support many girls who are the first in their family to accomplish something unique: the first to attend college, the first to travel internationally, the first to start a company, etc. What are you the first to do?

RJ: I was the first in my immediate family to relocate 1800 miles away from my home town. I have made Colorado my home and I love it, even though all of my family is still in New Jersey!

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Girls in South Sudan Sit for Exams

Many students across the U.S. have said goodbye to the lazy days of summer and are once again hitting the books as a new school year officially kicks off. But while the semester is just getting underway here, that isn’t the case for the students of Project Education Sudan.

Girls at the Ayak Anguei Girls’ Primary Boarding School in South Sudan

Girls at at the Ayak Anguei Girls’ Primary School in South Sudan have been very busy this summer.  Not only have they overcome great challenges, from food shortages to celebrating the nation’s first independence day, but they are now busy sitting for mid-term exams.  This comes just months before the school, which currently has 415 students, will celebrate its first graduating class later this year!

We’d like to wish all of the girls good luck as they sit for exams!

Update on 9/14/11: When we posted this to our Facebook page, the Executive Director/Co-Founder of Project Education Sudan, Carol, responded:

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Education Is Priority For World’s Newest Nation

Just over a month has passed since South Sudan observed its first Independence Day. After years of brutal civil war, this occasion was welcomed with joyous festivities and celebrations. Now that the dust has settled this new nation must begin building its future and one thing is certain: education is key.

Statistically, a Sudanese girl is more likely to get married before the age of 15 than she is to finish school. With a new country’s future at stake, this statistic has to change. Lieutenant General Daniel Akot, the deputy speaker of the national assembly in South Sudan, is calling on his partners to pass legislation that will make it possible for all children in South Sudan to attend school. He was recently cited in the Guardian Development Network proclaiming just how important education is for the future of this new nation. “We have won the war with our enemy. Now the real war of fighting poverty, ignorance and hunger has started. We can’t achieve this when our children don’t go to school,” he says.

With two million South Sudanese children out of school the government is now tasked with improving the country’s infrastructure, as well as recruiting dedicated teachers that can help shape this young generation of students into tomorrow’s leaders.

Girls at the Ayak Anguei Primary School

Fortunately, our beloved partners at Project Education Sudan are on the forefront of this mission. PES will celebrate their first class of graduating girls this year! We’d like to wish their students at the Ayak Anguei Primary School good luck as they prepare to sit for final exams next week!

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South Sudan: The World’s Newest Nation!

Americans across the country spent this past weekend celebrating Independence Day, marking 235 years of freedom with fireworks and festivities, just days before one African nation is celebrating their independence for the very first time.

On July 9, 2011 the Republic of South Sudan will emerge as the world’s newest nation. This comes after last January’s referendum in which the vast majority of South Sudanese voters chose to split from the North and declare their own independence. Preceded by decades of brutal war that left more than 2 million dead, this occasion marks a fresh beginning for the people of Sudan. While tensions remain high, with growing violence in the northern and southern border area of Abyei and the Nuba Mountains, a new nation prepares to welcome this historical event with hope for a peaceful future.

A schoolgirl at Project Education Sudan smiles at her high test score

This occasion means a great deal for our partner organization Project Education Sudan, which is now located in this new nation. “We are very excited about our partnership with the South Sudanese in working alongside them to provide what their new country is in need of: sustainable education. We are especially proud of the communities we work with in supporting girls education in a country where only 1 percent of girls have access to primary education and less than 1 percent graduate from secondary.”

 

Despite the challenges ahead, a fresh generation of young idealists are ready to lead their country into the future. Carol Rinehart, founder of PES, believes that “education is the only way this new country will move into a free and democratic state. The Ayak Angeui Girls’ Primary Boarding School is setting a precedent for others to follow by promoting girl’s education and future female leaders who will play a major role in building their new nation.”

We celebrate this occasion with our partner as they help build a promising future for the girls and women of South Sudan, who will be among the first to celebrate their independence!

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Meet the Student We Sponsored via Poetry Month Ecards!

Annah Angeth Awan

Bright & early this morning, we received a warm introduction to the student sponsored for a year by She’s the First Poetry Month! To all of you who purchased a $4 ecard for a mother, friend, or teacher, please meet the girl whose life you touched, Annah Angeth Awan. We even have two special handwritten notes for you below! Please feel free to leave a comment and we’ll send it back.

The Executive Director of Project Education Sudan, Carol Rinehart, emailed us the following:

Attached is the Headmaster’s ( Lual Awan John) letter from Pagook Primary school, Annah Angeth Awan’s personal letter to She’s The First and an image taken by the headmaster. As you can read, Annah is a very eager and ambitious young woman who will be the first in her family to continue her education! Thanks to She’s the First and Poetry Month!


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Project Education Sudan Changing Lives One Girl at a Time

Annah Angeth Awan, honor student at Tong Pagook Primary School in South Sudan

In South Sudan, only 1 percent of girls finish primary school and over 90 percent of all women are illiterate (UNICEF). For most young girls an education is only something they dream about, but 16-year-old Annah Angeth Awan is determined to beat the odds and become the first in her family to become a female doctor.

“I want to work in a hospital as a female doctor helping my people…If I follow my education [it] will allow me to know the whole world, be able to plan for my future and know what is going on,” she tells Carol Rinehart, founder of Project Education Sudan. “I love books and all subjects,” raved Angeth, who was happy to read anything Carol and the PES crew would give her during their recent visit to the region, including TIME Magazine from cover to cover.

Angeth is currently enrolled in Project Education Sudan’s fourth school, Tong Pagook Primary, where she impresses everyone with her confidence and drive, “You know when it’s different,” explained Carol, whose seen hundreds of girls with the same ambitions, but not with as much certainty and determination as Angeth.

Much of Angeth’s dedication can be attributed to the daily support she receives from her brother and mother. After her father was killed during the twenty-year civil war in Sudan, Angeth and her family were forced to move from their village to Pagook. Here Angeth was enrolled in PES’s primary school, where she quickly rose to the top of the class. The family recently faced the difficult decision to return to their home, which has now become safe again, or remain in Pagook. For the sake of Angeth’s education and future, the family decided to stay so Angeth can continue on her journey of becoming a doctor.

Angeth’s promising future is a true testament to the hard work and dedication of Project Education Sudan, who serves as a catalyst for change in this region by not only providing infrastructure, but empowerment to a new generation of young girls dedicated to improving the world. Find out more about our South Sudan partner on their directory page.

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New Hygiene Program Launched to Keep Girls in School

Imagine for a moment that you are a girl attending school in South Sudan, and your monthly gift from Mother Nature has just arrived. You have a busy week of class ahead of you, exams are scheduled and the timing couldn’t be worse. You have no reliable way to manage your period so you’re forced to skip class, and any other plans you had for that matter, in order to avoid embarrassing leaks or stains.

Unfortunately, this scenario is reality for many teen girls in South Sudan. It’s no secret that schoolgirls in developing countries are faced with incredible challenges when dealing with their monthly menses. While most cannot afford to purchase sanitary napkins, many do not even have access to such materials. As a result, teen girls and women resort to using unhealthy and often dangerous materials to manage their monthly menses and many choose to simply stay hidden at home. Although it’s an issue that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, it is one of the contributing factors in absenteeism rates among school age girls at the Ayak Angeui Girls Primary School in South Sudan.

Our newest partner, Project Education Sudan, recently implemented “Freedom Pad,” a program that aims to keep girls in school everyday of the month by supplying them with reusable sanitary napkins and underwear. This new program provides the funding for sewing machines, training, and the materials needed to make cloth pads that can be washed and reused multiple times. Even better, as part of a skills based opportunity, the girls themselves will be trained on how to sew the pads.

Elizabeth Awai, Head Matron of PES’ Ayak Anguei Girls Primary School, is very excited to see this program begin, as it will provide many who are currently using makeshift goat skin pads with their first form of reliable sanitary protection. PES expects to see an improvement in absenteeism rates as girls will no longer have to choose between attending class or staying home during their period.

 

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Project Education Sudan & The World’s Newest Country

Project Education Sudan, also known as the “little NGO that could,” is doing remarkable work in Southern Sudan. This Colorado Public Television special gives a rare, first-hand look into the work PES is doing to not only help the people of this region get an education, but begin to grow as an independent country.

In January of this year the region held a referendum that confirmed the South will become a nation of its own, starting on July 9. This historic event brings new hope for the people of South Sudan and PES is working diligently at their side every step of the way.

Take a few moments to watch, it will inspire you!

Watch the full episode. See more Studio 12.

[Editor's Note: If you're short on time, take a look around 7:00. They discuss girls' ed at Project Education Sudan's all-girls school, Ayak Anguei!]

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Welcome to the Network, Project Education Sudan!


Did you know that only 10% of girls in Southern Sudan, ages 7-14, attend school? That rate is the lowest in the world and one that Project Education Sudan, She’s the First newest partner, is working to change. This fantastic organization is doing amazing things in Southern Sudan, where they support indigenous organizations that make primary, secondary and adult education available for all, especially girls and women.

This organization’s roots date back to the devastating twenty-year civil war between Northern and Southern Sudan when communities, hospitals, and families were destroyed. Thousands were forced to flee to refugee camps in neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya, including “Lost Boy” Isaac Khor Bher. Isaac later migrated to the United States, where he met Carol Rinehart. The two formed a lifechanging friendship and traveled back to Sudan to reunite Isaac with his family in 2005. Upon arriving, Carol and Isaac witnessed the wide-spread destruction left by the civil war. Not only was the region in dire need of clean water wells, electricity, and health care, but the villagers were also desperate for an education. From that point on Carol and Isaac made it their mission to help communities and schools rebuild and Project Education Sudan was born.

Almost six years later and PES has not only built the only all girls school in the region, Ayak Anguei Primary School, where you can sponsor a girl through She’s the First, but they’re also providing young girls and women with the opportunity to be the first female in their family to get an education. PES has implemented women’s adult education programs as well as training for teachers on how to become better educators.

The work of Project Education Sudan is guided by this powerful quote from a Sudanese children’s song: “I am the leader of tomorrow. I am the leader of my people. Tomorrow is my time.” Join us as we build a better future with our newest partner!

For those of you with access to Colorado Public Television (PBS) be sure to tune in on Wednesday, March 30th at 8 pm MST to watch a powerful documentary on PES and what they’re doing to help the people of South Sudan!

[Editor's Note: You can learn more and sponsor a girl at Project Education Sudan here.]

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Annah Angeth Awan

Meet Annah Angeth Awan, a 16 year old in seventh grade in South Sudan. She is an honor student at Project Education Sudan’s Tong Pagook Primary School.

Annah favorite subjects are Science, English, Math, and Social Studies and she dreams of being a doctor when she grows up! She lives with her mother and brother after her father was killed in the civil war. Annah’s teachers rave about her dedication and enthusiasm. Watch her video message below to hear more in her own words!

Annah was sponsored by our very first Poetry Month in 2011.

 



If you would like to leave Annah a message, you can comment below. We’ll collect them and send them to her, and update here when she writes back. (Note: This can take up to six months, due to infrastructure issues in South Sudan.)

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