Dear Donors, Volunteers and Friends of PESS,

As has been reported in the international media, South Sudan is in the midst of an internal political struggle which has now become a military and human rights crisis threatening people and communities throughout the country.   Of particular concern to us at PESS is the impact on Jonglei State where the schools and communities we support are located as well as the town of Bor where Daniel Gai, our South Sudan director, lives and where our in-country offices are located.   

Daniel and his family have been successful in leaving South Sudan and are now in Nairobi, Kenya for an indeterminate time period addressing the health crisis of their son Thon and their own health issues as a result of the extreme living conditions in the bush when they escaped harm in Bor. We are truly grateful to all of you who have responded to Daniel's needs with your donations, e-mails and support these past three weeks.

We continue to be hopeful that peace will prevail and the talks between the government and the opposition in Addis Abba, Ethiopia will produce a solution to end the chaos, loss of life and displacement of thousands of families throughout South Sudan. The human rights violations that have been reported are such a tragedy considering the parties to this conflict fought side by side for nearly 20 years to obtain their freedom and independence as the newest nation in the world in 2011.

As an organization, Project Education South Sudan and its Board of Directors are committed to continuing our efforts to build hope, self-sufficient schools and leaders in the communities we support. We recognize that the resolution of the current crisis may take several months or perhaps longer. The need for communities to return to some sense of normalcy is a prerequisite to our returning to complete our projects. We believe we must give the people we serve time to heal and begin to rebuild their lives and their communities.

For the time being, we will put our projects on hold, follow the continuing developments in South Sudan and determine the appropriate time to resume our activities. Our South Sudan director, Daniel Gai will be in touch with other NGO's, UNMISS, the government of South Sudan and community leaders to assess our next steps. When it is safe, Daniel will visit the villages of Pagook, Konbek, Maar and Gopmeth to assess the condition of the school facilities and the timing for students to return to their educations.

We will continue to communicate with you and inform you of the situation in South Sudan and the timing of our return to the communities where we work to build hope and sustainable education and leadership. Funds that have been contributed for our projects but not yet deployed in South Sudan will remain in our US bank accounts with appropriate restriction as to their use until it is safe to resume our normal activities.

Thank you for your continuing support and confidence in Project Education South Sudan. We pray for peace and stability for all of our friends in South Sudan.

Board of Directors

Project Education South Sudan