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SUDAN: Grant for Christian schools will educate the Church of tomorrow
By John Pontifex
Pupils at a Save the Saveable school near Khartoum, Sudan
Aid to the Church in Need has signalled its commitment to the future of the Church in Sudan with a major grant to provide quality Christian schooling.
The charity's UK operation is giving almost £130,000 to help 10,000 children attending Save the Saveable schools, a network of about 15 schools under the Archdiocese of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
The grant comes at a time of concerns that the rights of Christians in Sudan will be compromised if Sudan’s Islamist government steps up efforts to enforce a strict Shari‘a-based system of law and government.
Christians and others living in the north have continued to migrate to South Sudan since Africa’s newest country gained independence from Sudan on 9th July.
But in spite of reduced numbers of faithful in Sudan and the threat of renewed discrimination and oppression against Christians, Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Adwok Kur of Khartoum stressed the importance of investing in the future of the Church there.
He said: “We as a Church have been arguing that there needs to be good Christian education possibilities so that future generations can be formed and can nurture strong values to enable them to live in an Islamic environment.”
“Save the Saveable remains the way to help young Christian people so that they are educated and can play their part in local society.”
“The schools’ programme provides the best means of educating people who come from a poor family.”
The Aid to the Church in Need grant will help pay the salaries of Save the Saveable teachers and Bishop Adwok has repeatedly stressed the importance of recruiting good quality educators.
Bishop Adwok went on: “The Archdiocese of Khartoum is grateful for the support given by Aid to the Church in Need.
"The schools are a very important part of developing our response to the difficulties that we face.”
Aid to the Church in Need UK’s pay-out for Save the Saveable is one of the largest grants made by the Surrey-based arm of the international charity over the last few years.
Similar-sized grants were paid out in support of the project in 2007 and 2008.
Speaking from Aid to the Church in Need’s main UK office in Sutton, head of fundraising Patricia Hatton said: “After decades of civil war and subsequent uneasy peace, children in Sudan are still being brought up in grinding poverty. Education is the key to unlocking potential and providing life-changing opportunities.”
“After many years of Aid to the Church in Need support for Save the Saveable, the fruits of the schools programme are very clear to see and the project is crucial for the future of the Church in Sudan.”
With its specific Christian emphasis, Save the Saveable organisers have frequently struggled to obtain sponsors. Bishop Adwok has repeatedly stressed the importance of ongoing support so that the programme can continue to raise education standards.
Save the Saveable has changed dramatically in the 25 years since Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako of Khartoum conceived the scheme as a response to Sudan’s civil war, when thousands of displaced people poured into the capital and the surrounding desert area.
For many years, Save the Saveable consisted of mud-hut-style classrooms and an associated food aid scheme for the most deserving children but since Sudan’s January 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, purpose-built classrooms and other structures have been erected.
Aid to the Church in Need has given long-term support for Save the Saveable, which Cardinal Zubeir Wako has described as the programme “dearest to my heart”.