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Why we should help
La Salle Secondary School is De La Salle Onlus's newest school, opening its doors in March 2018. It is situated in Rumbek, Lakes State, South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation that became independent in 2011 after a long and bloody war with northern Sudan. Infrastructure, including schools have suffered damage from the ongoing civil war (started in 2013 after independence), and funds and infrastructure dedicated to education were redirected to military purposes. Around 80% of South Sudanese depend on the primary sector, subsistence farming or herding as their source of livelihood. While there is sufficient water throughout Lakes State, the average person does not have access to potable water. Water contamination exacerbates an already precarious health situation. Public transport is nonexistent, movement is reduced to a bare minimum due to road conditions and lack of security; it stops completely during the rainy season from July to December. In South Sudan the two major cultural groups are the Dinka and the Nuer. Within each tribal group there is a system of sub-tribes, clans and familial groups. Lakes State’s constituency is largely Dinka, which represent over 70% of the population.
Compared to Rumbek, we are very fortunate. Singapore is an economically-stable developed country, and we can use our advantage to benefit those who really need help. Through this we can reduce gender inequality.
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Outcomes:
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Land acquisition and school expansion
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Purchasing of new furniture
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Development of a garden
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Training of teachers
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Building clean drinking and utility water facilities
For more detailed information, feel free to read the document attached.
More information by De La Salle Onlus
According to the La Salle Foundation in 2017, South Sudan's secondary school gross enrollment was approximately 5% of the total population, which barely reaches 80,000 students, with a dropout rate of over 70%. Less than a third of the population is literate. 50% of the population is below the poverty line. The current secondary school system is not working effectively and efficiently, therefore change is needed. Such catastrophically low enrollment rates for entry into secondary education have a profoundly negative effect on future economic and social development. It helps to explain why there are so few skilled or qualified South Sudanese workers in sectors as diverse as the building trades, the hospitality industry, business, and accounting. A productive future for South Sudan depends on improving the standards of education and a long-term commitment to training the leaders of tomorrow.
