VIEW A VIDEO OF FRANCIS BOK IN HIS HOME VILLAGE OF GOURION, SUDAN IN MARCH 2008
The children of Gourion, Sudan, have no school. Currently grades 1-6 meet in the shade of six different trees. Grade 7 meets in a dilapidated frame that holds a few palm branches for shade. The 13 volunteer teachers and 3 paid teachers have to cancel school during rainy season for their 320 pupils. The first priority of the people of Gourion is to build a school for their children. Town leaders have begun to make bricks, and all the townspeople have pledged to donate their labor.
EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO UNLOCK A NEW FUTURE FOR THE CHILDREN OF SUDAN. Most of these children have just recently returned to Gourion, after being displaced by the 22 year long war between Northern and Southern Sudan that ended with a peace treaty in 2005. Victims of war, these children have not had access to education, and they are determined to make up for lost time.
Above Left: More than anything else, the people of Gourion want a school for their children. Above Right: "My parents were killed on this spot, not far from the dividing line between North and South Sudan. The school we will build here will open a new future for these children, and will also be a beginning place for deeper reconciliation between Northerners and Southerners," explains Francis Bok.
Gourion is the home of Francis Bok, the author of "Escape from Slavery", who was abducted into slavery at age 7. He recently returned for the first time to Gourion, to the site where his family was killed. "The adults and children of Gourion have one request, 'Help us build a school.' I told them that I would go back to America and find the friends who will help them get the supplies they need to build the school. This is a big goal, but I know that together we can do it," says Francis. "As a slave, I was deprived of an education. There is no more strategic help I can get for the people of my home town than to invest in education for their children."
Education and Reconciliation
Francis Bok was a slave in Darfur, and yet when he returned to his home town he took four Darfurians with him, as a sign of solidarity and reconciliation. While there Francis and the Darfurians video taped a call for all Sudanese, Christian and Muslim, Northerners and Southerners, to stand in unity in the face of calls for war. The leader of the Darfurian team, Dr. Abdelgebar Adam, founder of the Darfur Human Rights Organization of the USA pledged, "we would like to help rebuild this school, as a sign of reconciliation between the people of Darfur and the South."
Above Left: Dr. Abdelgebar Adam, founder of the Darfur Human Rights Organization of the USA, "I want Darfurians to help build this school, so that the people of Francis' village will know we are their brothers and sisters". Middle: Francis Bok with the 6th grade boys and their teacher, who hold class under the shade of this tree. Right: "This is the 7th grade classroom. Our school will give the children of Gourion a place to learn, even during the rainy season". Francis Bok
"I want our school in Gourion to be a starting point for reconciliation. This school will not only be for Southerners, but for Darfurian children as well. This school will be a living demonstration of the value of cooperation among people of different tribes, regions and religions. As education opens a new future for the children, it will also deepen their understanding and respect for one another. I was once a slave. But the slavery of hatred and tribalism is the worst slavery of all. I want to help set free the people of Sudan, and I believe the way to do that is education."
The rainy season ends roughly in October, and construction will begin as soon as the variables of weather and contributions make that possible. It is hoped that by the beginning of the next rainy season (April) the classrooms will be completed, so that the children of Gourion no longer will have to cancel school for lack of a classroom.
Future phases of the school will include a library and a guest house for volunteer teachers.
Tax-deductible donations to the school can be made by check (noted for "Francis Bok's School"), or click "Donate Online" above to make a donation now. 100% of your donation will go for the school. Mail to: Sudan Sunrise, 8643 Hauser Ct., Ste. 240, Lenexa, KS 66215.
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