74 village schools built in South Sudan

South Korea Mission Office

By Fr. Raphael Lee, SDB
Mission Office Director

Seoul, Korea, 5 May 2018 -- In the monthly letter to the benefactors, donors and friend of Don Bosco, the Director of "DON BOSCO NANUM" - Seoul based Salesian Province Mission Office - announced that the 2012 started project for building 100 village schools in South Sudan was closed. Thanks to the benefactors mainly from South Korea (51 schools) and another 23 schools funded from the USA (2), Austria (2), Germany (1) and Italy (18). Thanks to the missionary dream a total of 74 schools was construsted during past 6 years and 14.800 South Sudan children in the rural areas got the access to the basic education. Really great! Congratulations!

With the green lights from the former Rector Major Fr. Pascual Chavez during the 2012 Team Visit of Africa-Madagascar Region, this project aimed to help the main need of the newly born country of South Sudan - basic education. The project was inspired by the dream of two former Italian missionaries in South Korea - Fr. Vincenzo Donati and Br. Giacomo (Jim) Comino, who left for Eastern Africa Province in 1981 and 1992 respectively. Many didn't believe and doubted, but this courageous invitation for the generosity was met with enthusiasm of many good will people.

Amidst of incredible civil war (tribal fights) difficulties were completed 74 village schools, each with 4 classrooms in the vast area of the 193th country recognized by the UN in 2011. In his letter dated May 14, 2018, Br. Comino in his beautiful korean caligraphy (hangul) give thanks to God (Nothing is impossible!) and to the numerous benefactors) and explains the reason for ending the project amidst of millions of South Sudan refugees escaping the war to nearby Uganda, Congo or Ethiopia.

So, after 6 years the 'Hundred Village School' Project entred the Salesian history leaving us with a great inspiration always to aim high when it's about the benefit of the poor children or young people.

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