Tag Archives: Gumriak

Holiday Dreams

James Lubo Mijak, December 28, 2017

Lubo 2017Greetings from South Sudan. I am saying “Hello” and also 
“Thank You, very much.”

It has been a very busy year, and we are ready for the holidays. I am wishing you God’s blessings for your holiday, too. The schools have just finished their classes, and the students in P8, the final year of primary school, have just finished national exams. We are waiting for the results. Schools will open next year in February.

braggsWlubo 300In this letter, I want to focus on the Nyarweng and Gumriak primary schools in Ruweng State because they were the start of what is now the Raising South Sudan project. These schools represent a dream I had when I was a former Lost Boy of Sudan living in Charlotte, North Carolina. I wanted to start with a school in my home village of Nyarweng and my friends Leslie and Phillips Bragg offered to help me find the way. Then, along with Ngor Kur Mayol of Atlanta and Karen Puckett of Salisbury, North Carolina, we also wanted to support children from Ngor’s home village of Aliap. Later, we made a collaboration with James Manyror, he lives near Denver, and he started an orphanage and school called Gumriak. Today, our dreams are alive and still growing. More than 450 students took exams at Nyarweng this year. Almost 350 students did the same thing at Gumriak. That is amazing.

Students_with New Flash Cards and Textbooks_June 2016_Ruweng State Primary School South Sudan 300dpiI am proud of the Nyarweng and Gumriak schools. They were the only ones in our communities that stayed open all year. Teachers were always paid, and meals were served every day. We have scholarships for girls to continue at a very good boarding school for the high school years, and we hope that we can start helping boys continue in high schools next year. These are still the only schools in the area with textbooks for students and adult literacy programs.

This does not mean that everything is perfect. South Sudan is a hard place to work. One example is that many trees in Ruweng State have been cut down for cooking wood, so there are strong winds. The roof on a building under construction at the Gumriak School was blown off. With funds from donors we built a semi-permanent building and raised the ground at the compound to avoid flooding during the rainy season. The students and teachers are very grateful. But the damage to the roof delayed us from providing more desks for students. Also, our teachers at both schools walk long distances, and we didn’t have the budget to provide bicycles to them this year. We started a demonstration farm but have a lot to do to make farms bigger and provide enough meals for the school children in the future.

Gumriak boy with book 300dpiOur biggest challenge is always having enough classroom space and training the best teachers. To keep the Nyarweng and Gumriak schools open in 2018 we need to pay 30 teachers and staff to work with almost 800 students.

Even with the challenges, we are all very grateful! We feel the love of many donors, churches and friends. We always say in our local language that “One hand cannot clap.” We clap when your hands and our hands join together. I hope you can please help with a donation so the children can continue their education. 

Thank you very much,
James Lubo Mijak
Raising South Sudan, 
Country Project Director

Do Umbrellas Make Good Teachers?

Patricia Shafer, August 18, 2017

Teachers with UmbrellasWhen people first hear about our Raising South Sudan education project they often say, “Do you build schools?” Answer: “Yes.”

For example, there’s the Nyarweng Primary School inspired by former Lost Boys of Sudan James Lubo Mijak and Ngor Kur Mayol and their friends Phillips Bragg and Karen Puckett. And we’re improving the facilities of the Gumriak Primary School established by former Lost Boy James Manyror.

But sustainable education also depends on teachers being paid, appreciated, and provided with resources – from classroom materials to coats, boots and umbrellas during the rainy season.

MealsLunch, Tea, Agriculture
Hunger is one big barrier to learning. In 2017, two agencies of the United Nations declared famine in certain parts of the country. At Raising South Sudan project schools, meals are provided to all students. Lunch and tea breaks are a daily treat and motivator for teachers. And through a collaboration with nonprofit Rise Against Hunger, we’ve been expanding gardens and farms to improve nutrition and create cash crops that help sustain schools.

BooksBooks, Materials, Training
South Sudan has an approved national curriculum, but most schools don’t have materials. With donations from US schools participating in our Walk for Wisdom service learning fundraisers, we bought teacher guides and student workbooks for all subjects across all grades. Grants from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Foundation and the Peeler/Casey Foundation funded an illustrated series of folktales and continuous training on lesson plan development for 30+ teachers and staff.

Sarah TeachingWomen, Girls, ECD Innovations
Most women in South Sudan haven’t finished primary school, so teaching staffs are generally male. So, we’re emphasizing education for girls. Thanks to proactive recruiting, girls make up 30+% of students at Raising South Sudan project schools and 50+% in Early Childhood Development classes. We were honored when South Sudan nominated this work for a UNESCO prize for girls’ and women’s literacy.

Gerald and Principal with computerSerious About Testing
Eighth graders (last year of primary school in South Sudan) recently completed mock national exams. The Gumriak school ranked #1 in Ruweng State, and Nyarweng ranked #3. But aspirations are even higher. Teachers must develop “schemes of work” and lesson plans, but professional development is rare. So, in September, our education facilitators are reviewing exam results and helping teachers set personal improvement goals for 2017 final exams and next year.

Will you help us continue this progress? Support the Teachers, Embrace Our Kids.
http://tinyurl.com/RSS-SupportTeachers