On July 9, South Sudan formally joined the family of nations. Brother William Firman, director of the Teachers Training Institute in Southern Sudan writes to say that “the celebrations were joyful and orderly.” After half a century of civil war that killed about 2 million people and displaced 80 percent of the population, the Southern Sudanese can now look to the future with hope.
The presence of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the area since 2007, together with members of other religious congregations comprising the Solidarity with Southern Sudan (SSS) Project, has helped pave the way to rebuilding the country’s social infrastructure, with the establishment and development of teacher and health training institutes by SSS along with pastoral services in support of the local church in the area.
The teacher training component of the project is led by the Brothers. To date, 622 Sudanese teachers have been trained.