Girls’ Education: A Casualty of Escalating Border Violence

Sudan has declared a state of emergency along its border with South Sudan. The volatility has taken a toll on our girls’ school in Akon. After much deliberation, the staff and board of My Sister’s Keeper have made the difficult decision to suspend operations of our educational projects. We will continue, however, our critical peacebuilding and advocacy work.

Akon is located in Warrap State, which is on the border with Sudan. With Khartoum’s sinister Antonov bombers circling overhead, border residents are anxiously preparing to defend their communities from potential attack. Young men have joined the army in record numbers. Fearful parents, mindful that the Sudanese government has previously bombed school buildings in Darfur and the Nuba Mountains in Southern Kordofan State, are no longer sending their children to school. We are especially worried that we have not been able to make contact with our staff since mid-April.

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What’s in A Name?

“What’s your name?” I asked the 11 y.o. 3rd grader while visiting in December 2005. She lowered her eyes and whispered, “Elizabeth.” “She’s shy.” her teacher explained. I hugged Elizabeth and asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“A doctor,” my timid friend mumbled.
“Great!” I responded. “One day we’ll work together! My patients call me Dr. Gloria. Let’s call you Dr. Elizabeth! What’s your name, again?” I quizzed. Her eyes still downcast, she whispered, “Dr. Elizabeth.”
I turned to her classmates. “What’s her name, girls?”

“Dr. Elizabeth!” they shouted for their bashful, but now beaming friend.

Elizabeth’s teachers say that was a transform-ative moment for their quiet student. She and her classmates began to see her through new lenses. “Dr. Elizabeth” is now known as a leader in her school, and is one of only 11 of her 90 original classmates to complete 8th grade. We unleashed the “girl effect”!

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