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The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation aims to help rebuild war-affected southern Sudanese communities by increasing access to education. As the region recovers and rebuilds, it is Valentino's dream to create educational opportunities throughout southern Sudan. Please read below to learn more about the issues facing the region, and Valentino's plan to build an educational center in his hometown of Marial Bai.
CURRENT STATE OF SOUTHERN SUDAN
Southern Sudan is emerging from a 20-year civil war between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, there has been peace in southern Sudan, and this has allowed southerners to begin rebuilding. But the process is a difficult one; most of the infrastructure that existed before the civil war has been lost and many southern Sudanese who fled Sudan during the war have not yet returned.
Valentino's hometown of Marial Bai, in the Northern Bahr al-Ghazal state of southern Sudan, was burned to the ground repeatedly during the civil war. The perpetrators were the militiamen known as the murahaleen -- the same militias (now called janjaweed) who currently terrorize Darfur. When Valentino returned to his hometown in 2003, the community was struggling in poverty. There was almost no livestock, the one-room hospital was dilapidated, and there were practically no economic opportunities in the region. The small houses were made from mud and thatch—before Valentino left Marial Bai as a child, homes were commonly made in the more modern style of cement and metal. (The inexpensive and easily-constructed mud huts became preferable once murahaleen raids began coming regularly, destroying homes and livelihoods on a nearly monthly basis.) Now that there is peace, permanent homes are being built again.
The worst effect of the civil war in southern Sudan has been on the children, who—after witnessing so many atrocities—now have very limited access to quality education. The majority of children in southern Sudan do not even attend primary school. Girls especially have few opportunities for education. For adults who missed out on their education during the civil war, there are no ways to obtain vocational training. Where schools do exist, they are usually lacking in resources. Many schools consist of just students and a teacher sitting under a tree. Materials and academic supplies—not to mention trained teachers—are scarce. However, the people of southern Sudan are committed to rebuilding their communities and supporting their children's education.
THE MARIAL BAI EDUCATION PROJECT
Peace in southern Sudan has allowed Valentino's community to reassert itself. Marial Bai is a regional trading center that attracts visitors from hundreds of miles around, and Valentino seeks to help make the town a center of learning as well. He believes, along with most southern Sudanese, that education plays an extremely important role in rebuilding the region. Improving the educational system in southern Sudan is one of the best ways to build local capacity and encourage the creation of viable economic opportunities for the people of Sudan.
  
Above, from left to right: The sign for Marial Bai's current primary school; future students of the secondary school; future site of the educational center.
The first major initiative of the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, and one of Valentino's most vital dreams, is to create quality, community-oriented educational opportunities in southern Sudan, beginning in Marial Bai.
During summer of 2007, Valentino returned to Marial Bai to consult with the community and determine how the Foundation can best assist the people there. After meeting with dozens of community leaders, students, parents, government officials, and community groups, we concluded that the best way for the Foundation to support the community is through the construction of a educational center. Working closely with the local community, the Foundation is building a large complex in Marial Bai, consisting of:
- a twelve-classroom secondary school
- a teachers' training college
- a public library
- sports facilities
- a community center
A newly formed committee of women leaders in Marial Bai has been organized to design community programming, with special emphasis on increasing girls’ enrollment in school through mentoring, tutoring, and parent outreach. Vocational training and literacy classes will be offered for adults who were unable to receive an education during the many years of civil war, and a microloan program will be established to help local business owners.
In early 2008, Valentino returned to Marial Bai to start construction on the secondary school. Close community collaboration during every phase of the project – planning, implementation, and facility management – is central to the project. Sudanese architects designed the blueprints, bricks were made locally, and hundreds of community members volunteered their time and labor to assist in the building project.
Secondary school
A generous plot of land has been given to the Foundation by the local government for the purpose of building the secondary school complex. One of the highlights of Valentino's 2007 trip was a community-organized ceremony to bless the land and to begin clearing small shrubs and bushes to prepare the land for construction. A feast of chicken, goat and rice was prepared by the women and a local dance troupe performed for the crowd of hundreds. The youth - many of whom will eventually enroll at the new school - were recruited to work on the land for a couple of hours. This celebration was the first official step toward the realization of the Marial Bai Education Project, and it served as a formal way to demonstrate the Foundation and the community's goal to work together to complete this much-needed facility.
  
Valentino with a local official holding the horn from a ram sacrificed to bless the land; dancers celebrate the land; Valentino participates in ceremonial tree-chopping.
The school will serve approximately 400 students in four grades and will include housing for boarding students and teachers coming from other regions. A library -- the first in the district -- will house hundreds of relevant books and provide space for studying. Facilities for basketball, soccer, and handball will give students dedicated space for recreation and enrichment activities. To enhance the availability of qualified secondary teachers, several teachers' training scholarships will be made available, and the Foundation will sponsor on-site training for teachers and administrators.
Although significant progress has been made on increasing girls' enrollment in primary schools in the past two years, girls have distinctly lower enrollment rates in secondary schools. Special emphasis will be placed on increasing girls' enrollment through programs -- such as mentoring, tutoring, parent outreach, and life skills training -- designed to help girls broaden and achieve their academic goals.
Community center
The community center will be located in the heart of Marial Bai near the central market, clinic, and primary school. The center will be a space in which local community-based organizations can hold periodic meetings and trainings on important local issues, such as health and hygiene, water and sanitation, HIV/AIDS, small business development, peace and gender issues, and human rights. Formal classes in adult literacy and numeracy will be offered. Local youth groups will use the space for social and cultural events, such as drama productions and dance practice.
Women will play a leading role in managing the community center. During the Foundation's trip in 2007, we worked with a group of local women and helped them form the Marial Bai Women's Action Group. The group elected officers and formed a plan to start a small co-operative restaurant business with a seed grant from the Foundation. Some of the members of the group have recently returned to Marial Bai after being displaced during the war; some remained in Marial Bai during the war. All of the women share a common resolve to improve the condition of women and girls in their community.
Youth enrichment
Recognizing the Sudanese passion for soccer, the Foundation established a partnership with the local district team. The Foundation will sponsor the team with uniforms and equipment and the team will assist in community projects, such as health education outreach, neighborhood cleanups, and tutoring.
MICROFINANCE PILOT PROJECT
Many returnees and residents of Marial Bai are faced with extreme challenges to finding viable economic opportunities to support their families. Residents' shops, fields, and herds were damaged or destroyed during the war. Recent returnees have come back to Marial Bai with little more than the clothes on their backs. While many people have technical or business skills and experience, they lack the capital to initiate small businesses.
The Foundation will administer a limited number of micro-loans to local people who demonstrate the skills necessary to establish and maintain a small business. In August 2007, the Foundation made its first loan to a local carpenter who recently returned from the refugee camps in Kenya. Forced to leave his tools behind in Kenya, he needed some small financial assistance to purchase new tools and open a shop. He and future loan recipients will receive small business training in order to maximize their economic potential.
FUTURE GOALS
Once the Marial Bai project is completed, the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation hopes to implement projects in other communities in southern Sudan. With support from contributors, the Foundation can become a permanent partner in creating educational infrastructure and opportunities for the people of southern Sudan.
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