Educating Sudan's next generation
Sud Academy is a school in Nairobi, Kenya that seeks to educate about 250 students, mostly refugees from southern Sudan. It was started in 2002 by the Sudanese community in order to educate their youth to become skilled, capable leaders that can assist in the rebuilding of their homeland of southern Sudan.
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Why is there a need for Sud Academy?
There is a large population of Sudanese refugee youth currently living in Nairobi under desperate circumstances. They have escaped to Kenya from the war-torn land of southern Sudan, where many have witnessed family, relatives and neighbours being killed by government militiamen; watched their livestock being stolen; watched their villages and homes being burnt to the ground. These youth have escaped to the refugee camps in northern Kenya. Some made the journey with their families; some made it on their own.
But even in the camps a lack of security and shortages of food forces many to forge on to Nairobi in search of a better life; the possibility of an education and maybe even a job.
You need to know that this is not just for Sud Academy, but for helping the entire southern Sudan.
Unfortunately, life in Nairobi is often more difficult than could have been imagined. Because they are foreigners, the refugees are not qualified to attend Kenyan schools, and they are unable to secure employment. Reports of refugees being detained by police until a bribe is paid are common. If the youth cannot find schooling or work, then boredom and hopelessness deflate their spirits even further.
According to SUD Academy principal, Mr. Ojok Bosco, the school is providing a lot of help to its students by allowing them to get an education while at the same time maintaining their distinct culture. Being able to study at Sud Academy also gives these orphans something more than an education and a hope, it gives them a sense of belonging.