The School at Juba has been constructed and put into operation by the generous impulse of the congregation of St Francis Church, our sister Parish in the United Benefice. Faced with raising some £400,000 for refurbishment of the late 30’s St Francis Church, the congregation decided to tithe their fund raising activities to make £40,000 available to build Phase 1 of a secondary school in Southern Sudan, with two further Phases being funded by private donation and the British Government. The Sudan has a long association with Salisbury Diocese, and the predominantly Christian south had benefited from this relationship in terms of tangible assistance and international support.

The congregation at St Lawrence wished to assist St Francis with the expenses of putting the new school into operation and meeting some of the desperate educational needs of the Juba region. We enjoyed an inspiring brief from Cdr Richard Dean RN (Rtd), who explained how the new school fitted into the national education network. He showed that a sum in the order of £300 would fund a child for their three years at Secondary School. (In Sudan they spend two years longer at Primary School, starting secondary school at year 9) The funding covers the cost of teachers, uniform, notebooks and materials. Our Appeal to St Lawrence congregation was to support 3 children by contributing £900. In the event we raised £1,800 so that we could offer to support 6 children, with the request that equal numbers of boys and girls should be helped, provided that the school gender balance allowed.

St Lawrence congregation are proud to associated with the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and look forward to being able to contribute in the future.

Ted Uren
Jenny Stone P>

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