It was the dreams of three former “Lost Boys of Sudan” – James "Lubo" Mijak of Charlotte, NC; Ngor Kur Mayol of Atlanta, GA; and James Manyror, near Denver, CO – that led to the founding of the Nyarweng and Gumriak primary schools in South Sudan. As children, they survived war, epic walks to safety, and life in refugee camps; became US citizens; and promised to build schools in their home villages. The dream is very much alive thanks to continued support from individuals, churches, and foundations, as well as in-country management guidance and support from nonprofit Mothering Across Continents.
The Nyarweng and Gumriak primary schools serve 800 students grades 1-8. Both schools consistently rank in the Top Five based on national exam scores in Ruweng, South Sudan.
The operating budget to keep the schools open is $160,000 per year. That's about $200 per student. Teacher and staff salaries to serve 800 students total $5,000 a month. It would be great to have the school buildings painted with words, numbers, and images that make them “talking schools.” And the teachers and students always need more books and tablet-based resources for English, science, and math.
In 2023, the first group of Nyarweng and Gumriak graduates to attend boarding high school finished and took national exams. They passed with flying colors and most entered a special two-month university training course on how to manage primary school classrooms. With new knowledge and skills, they returned to the Nyarweng and Gumriak primary schools as teachers. Each received a computer tablet pre-loaded with instructional content. The Teach for America model inspired us to create a way for them to give back but with an approach adapted for South Sudan. In 2024, for the first time, some of the original primary school graduates will be old enough to apply for Raising South Sudan and other university scholarships.
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Raising South Sudan is a project of US 501c3 nonprofit Mothering Across Continents
info@motheringacrosscontinents.org