| WHAT WE DO: | ||
| + | Agriculture & Environment: Seed and tool distribution, training farmers through demonstration farms, diversification of crop varieties, distribution of fishing equipment, environmental awareness, reforestation. | |
| + | Child Development & Education: Training teachers, promoting improved health/hygiene practices, developing supporting community bodies, building primary schools, school material provisions, school feeding program. | |
| + | Church Development: Adult literacy program, training in Basic Education such as reading and writing, Biblical teaching. | |
21 years of civil war. Two million deaths, four million people displaced. Today schools are destroyed and even studying under trees is only available to a few; 75 percent of children do not have access to any kind of education in Southern Sudan.
75 percent. An entire generation; several generations. And out of the 25 percent that do go to school at all, only three percent finish primary school, according to UNICEF.
Southern Sudan has some of the lowest rates of education enrollment and completion in the world. And though the war ended in 2005, recovering from it is far from over. Nearly every person in Southern Sudan has been affected by war; from the loss of family members or the destruction of property or the psycho-social impact of watching violence win, over and over, nothing has been left untouched.
But what if this all could change? Imagine that the 84 percent of girls who can't read, could. Imagine that one textbook didn't have to be shared between three or more students. Imagine.
What if, instead of having the lowest rate of primary education completion in the world, Southern Sudan had one of the highest?
In the Upper Nile area, FH has enabled 1,800 children to go to school, trained 100 teachers, built five primary schools and even offered lunch to students during the school day so they can be attentive enough to learn, so they don't fall asleep at their desks from under nutrition.
But we are not stopping there. Parents and grandparents should be able to learn too. Through local churches adults who couldn't read or write have been given the opportunity to learn how. Women and people with disabilities - the individuals who are usually pushed to the fringes of society, are now leading the way. People are learning, and things are changing.
As the Sudanese rebuild what has been destroyed with the impossible set against them, what is impossible, we are seeing, isn't.
+ FH HISTORY:
In 2001 FH began operating in Southern Sudan through partnering organizations mainly in emergency relief activities in the Upper Nile State. Independent program operation started in late 2004, and has since spread over to the Upper Nile and Jonglei States. FH Sudan programming has expanded to include activities in food security, agriculture, education and church development.
+ SUDAN'S HISTORY:
Sudan's history can be traced back thousands of years, with the Nubian kingdom coming under Egyptian rule in 2600 B.C. This Egyptian-Nubian civilization, known as Kush, prospered until 350 A.D. Christianity arrived to the region in the 6th century, and was followed shortly after by Islam. Sudan was again conquered by Egypt in 1874 and following the British occupation of Egypt, came under British colonial rule from 1898 until its independence on January 1, 1956.
Since independence, the people of Sudan have endured two periods of civil war, which lasted from 1955-1972, and then again from 1983-2005. According to the CIA World Fact Book these wars, "were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese." The Second Sudanese Civil War is responsible for over two million deaths and the displacement of more than four million people. A comprehensive peace agreement between the north and south was signed in 2005, granting southern autonomy for six years. Following this, a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held.
As the south began working to rebuild, violent conflict broke out in the western region of Darfur. Hundreds of thousands of people have died, nearly two million have been displaced, and as conflict continues, violence and vulnerability remain.
FACTS:
+ Sudan is the largest country in Africa
+ South Sudan has experienced war for all but 10 years since its independence in 1956.
+ Nearly 99% of girls in south Sudan do not complete primary school
+ As armed conflict continues in Darfur, an estimated 1.8 million children have been affected by the violence
+ Sudan is home to 597 different tribes that speak over 400 different languages
+ Facts From: IRIN, CIA, The World Factbook, UNHCR, UNICEF.
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