UMCOR Sudan

Improving Education in South Sudan

05 October 2006

Children in South Sudan will have better opportunities for education through UMCOR's new program. Courtesy East Africa Annual Conference.

NEW YORK, Oct. 5, 2006—An $800,000 US government grant to United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), combined with $200,000 from United Methodist gifts, will reopen long shuttered schools in South Sudan this fall. Benefiting are children, especially girls, returning to Morobo and Yei counties, a region devastated by two decades of war. UMCOR is the humanitarian aid arm of the United Methodist Church in South Sudan and Darfur.

The grant, financed by the US Department of State plus the private funding, will focus on making school more accessible for families returning to the area after the signing of the comprehensive peace settlement in January 2005.

Better Access to Education

An important part of resettlement after so long a period of disturbance is the availability of quality education for the next generation. Of the 1.6 million school-aged children currently in Sudan, only 20 percent attend school. Of those 7 percent are girls. Although UMCOR Sudan’s program is focused on rehabilitating four specific schools, all the schools in the area will benefit. Community-wide aspects of the program, such as increasing awareness for the need for education, establishing Parent Teacher Associations, providing the teachers with further training will help the more than 20 schools in Morobo and Yei counties.

Most schools lack basic materials such as books and writing paper. In a holistic approach typical of all the agency’s programs, UMCOR Sudan will help provide these supplies. Some will come from the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot, the United Methodist relief supply center. UMCOR Sudan is also working with the communities to improve access to water and sanitation facilities at the schools to make them healthier places for learning. The communities themselves will participate in maintaining these facilities, giving them ownership of the project and responsibility for the upkeep of the schools once these facilities are in place.

This grant is financed by the US US Department of State under the authority of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962.

How You Can Help

UMCOR began working in Sudan in 2005 to provide assistance to displaced people living in camps and the communities who host them. UMCOR also helps displaced people find their way home to return to peaceful farming or work. Cash gifts support these life-giving programs. You can give to UMCOR Advance #184385, Sudan Emergency. Checks may be mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10187. One hundred percent of your gift will support UMCOR’s work in Sudan. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is a 501(c)(3) charity and all contributions are fully tax deductible.