The worldwide pandemic has certainly provided challenges for everyone, but in particular for the children of South Sudan. For nearly 14 months schools have been closed and the children of Ndoromo village have been without any schooling. The school had only been open three years and prior to this it was closed for 10 years due to civil war.
Funding Provided
Earlier this year we wrote about the closure of the Primary School in the small village of Ndoromo. The school closed due to COVID-19 restrictions but was at risk of not re-opening due to the end of their three year funding. We received a wonderful response to the news item on our website and received enough funding to advise the school coordinator that the Australian Province and their partners in mission could fund the school for 12 months which would enable it to re-open when the Government restrictions were lifted.
We are so pleased to now be able to report that the school re-opened at the beginning of May and by the end of May had 70 pupils, an increase from 51 last year. The parents were very positive about the school re-opening and have supported it in many ways including forming a Parents and Teachers Association, contributing food for the students, and constructing a school kitchen from local materials.
Many Challenges
There are still many challenges to overcome; sourcing clean water as the borehole is broken and the nearest water is 5kms away; broken desks; broken toilets due to a tree falling on them, to name a few. Overall, the school is a success and the parents in the area understand the importance of education and are very appreciative of the opportunity provided to educate their children.
This photo shows the toilets damaged by a fallen tree.
The donations from our partners in mission have made a significant difference to the lives of these children. In communications received from the school coordinator he expressed his gratitude and thanks to the Sisters and our partners in mission.
