Ending of Another Term!

Another term ended in success at the beginning of October with a huge party at the Centre. Students from English, computer, sports, sewing, and Bible studies came together to celebrate. There was food from many nations, a Sudanese presentation, and certificates for students completing the term.

Students were served food from all of the different nations represented at the Centre.


This plate had delicious food from Sudan to Korea to the States and a number of cultures and countries between!


Sudan was the feature country. The ladies and gentlemen had a great program from singing, dancing ...

...and even Mrs. (and Mr.) Sudan -- an awesome fashion show!


After the Sudanese presentation, students gathered for numerous pictures with their teachers. Here is Missy with some of her English students.

To conclude the end of the term party, the Centre hosted a movie night...Tom and Jerry then Mr. Bean.

In all the students had a great afternoon and another term ended with great success!

Thanks for your prayers for the Centre and the students! Please continue to prayer as we have begun the new and final term of our first year.

Update: Jacob & Abdul

Many of you are familiar with Jacob, one of the former child soldiers that Jade and Shelah met in Southern Sudan in 2001.  He has been attending school in Kenya for the past six years and has performed very well in his classes.  He speaks very eloquent English and has always been outgoing and friendly.

We wanted to write and update you all with some news about Jacob.  At the end of the last school term Jacob let us know that he was ready to return to Sudan, and shortly afterward he traveled back to his home area near Wau in Southern Sudan.  He called once he arrived and was excited to report that he had been able to find his family and they are doing well.

Jacob with Jade and Shelah in Southern Sudan in 2001

Jacob with Jade and Shelah in Kampala just before he left for Sudan

We will miss Jacob very much but know that it was important to him to go home now.  We will keep you all updated when we hear more news from him and ask that you continue praying for him as he makes his way in Sudan.

You may also remember Abdul, a clever boy from the Blue Nile region of Sudan who Jade and Shelah met in 2001.  On a visit home to Sudan, Abdul decided he needed to stay there and look after his younger brothers, as they have no parents to care for them.  We will keep you updated as we hear from Abdul and also ask that you pray for him as he works to provide for himself and his family members in Sudan.

Abdul

Update: School's Out!

Schools here in Uganda and Kenya don't exactly have summer holidays like schools in the US, but students here do have a break from school for the next month, which means our Sudanese guys are home for a while!  They've just finished their end of term exams, so they're ready to relax a bit.  

A couple of the guys are also getting the opportunity to make a visit home to Sudan.  Lino just returned from a trip to his old hometown in Southern Sudan, where he got to see members of his family for the first time in six years.  And Taban is also currently making a trip to Southern Sudan, accompanied by Peter, a Refuge & Hope staff member.  Please pray for him to have a good time visiting with family and for a safe trip for these guys.  We hope that some of the others will be able to make a trip to Sudan during the next school holiday.

I'm also pleased to say that I recently got to take a trip with Harriet and Jade to see the other guys in Eldoret, Kenya.  It was wonderful to meet them and spend time visiting with them.  Harriet and I were actually there to interview Jacob, Al Jehli and Taban - to hear their stories about Sudan, their time during the war, and about how life has changed since meeting Jade and Shelah and becoming sponsored by Refuge & Hope to attend school.  I was also able to take a few photos of them.  We hope to eventually take these stories and photos and put them in a small "coffee table book" about the guys, so keep your ears open for that in the near future.  But in the meantime, here are a few of the photos!

Al Jehli

 

Mubarak

Taban

Jacob

Update: Sudanese Guys

Refuge and Hope's first project began in 2004 when we began sponsoring nine former child soldiers/children affected by war in Sudan.  This project is really the reason Refuge and Hope International was formed in the first place.  These guys have now grown into young men, and five of them are enrolled in schools in Uganda, while the other four are in schools in Kenya.  We hope to use this blog to keep you periodically updated on what is happening with these guys, starting with this update.

Ugandan schools are on holiday during the month of May, so four of the Sudanese young men we sponsor have been on break for the past few weeks. Two of them, Saudi and Abdul, were able to travel back home to Sudan during the break. It had been 11 years since Abdul had been home and 6 years since Saudi had been home. Abdul has struggled with depression and homesickness a lot for the past two years since getting reconnected (by phone) with his family. After reaching home and discovering that his younger siblings are in a bad situation, Abdul is unsure of what to do.  He is still in Sudan and is struggling with returning to Uganda to complete his education or staying in Sudan to help his family.  

Saudi returned a few days ago from a very meaningful and emotional reunion with his family in Sudan. His home community was excited to have him back, and he had the opportunity to teach school children and community leaders about sanitation, mathematics and English. He spent the past few days getting ready to go back to his boarding school here in Kampala this past week. He is in the top of his class academically. Barakat and Abraham spent the school holiday in Kampala with Jade and Shelah, and they also went back to their boarding schools this past week. The other guys in Kenya are back in school and will have their next break in August.  

Refuge and Hope plans to continue this project until all have graduated from high school. The last one to graduate will be in 2012. Donations to this project provide for school fees, school supplies, school uniforms, medical expenses and daily living expenses.  If you would like to learn more or to participate in this project, please email shelah@refugeandhope.org.  And stay tuned for more updates about the guys in the days and months ahead!

(Saudi took this photo of his family during his visit at home)