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How do we work?
Education East Africa Foundation supports three ‘self-help’ schools in Sudan. They resulted from personal initiative because there is little provision available for poor, underprivileged children, who are the target group.
The foundation was established in 2010 to support the school aid project started by Rianne Tamis, now treasurer, to help Sudanese children of parents who had fled the civil war in the south of the country.
Rianne lived and worked in Khartoum between 2001 and 2013, She knew about the Salama School set up by displaced people themselves in Jabarona in Omdurman, through the daughter of her Nuba cleaning lady. In this well-run primary school, some 500 children enjoyed education at a small fee, or free if necessary. Unfortunately, the school was in danger of having to close its gates in 2006 due to lack of income.
After appealing to family, friends and acquaintances, she managed to collect enough monthly donations to provide the Salama School staff with a basic income. Of the students who were thus able to complete primary school, some went on to secondary school, and some even to university.
The Salama School no longer exists, but the foundation has continued to support the education of poor children. With the help of a steady group of donors –monthly donations range from €5 to €100– the Elrayan School and Salwa’s kindergarten are able to cover their most urgent costs and the Eisa Mahanna School is able to transport its students with disabilities safely to school.
With the one-off donations, the foundation covers occasional expenses, such as for classroom repairs and furniture or schoolbooks. It goes without saying that all donations, whether monthly or one-off, are more than welcome.
For more information, email us at onderwijsoostafrika@yahoo.com.
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Stichting Onderwijs Oost-Afrika, Amsterdam – IBAN: NL27 TRIO 0198 367171 (BIC: TRIONL2U)
Join the fight against famine in Sudan. Help schoolchildren survive!
Due to the ‘forgotten war’ that broke out in April 2023 between the army and a government militia in Sudan, about half of the population, some 28 million, are suffering from hunger. Between 11 and 13 million people have fled their homes.
UN agencies speak of a ‘catastrophic situation’, not only in Darfur, but also in the capital Khartoum and in neighbouring Omdurman. The meagre financial reserves the poorest had for food have long since run out.
‘Many are now resigned to the situation and are preparing to die,’ a teacher at the Elrayan primary school located in Omdurman’s poorest neighbourhoods wrote. These neighbourhoods are controlled by the army, so the paramilitaries frequently shell the area. For food, people have to walk for kilometres to a market that is still open. Prices of the little food on offer are skyrocketing, and many people are selling their furniture to be able to obtain food.
This is why Education East Africa Foundation, which has financially supported the teachers of the Elrayan school for years, launched a crowdfunding campaign in May 2024.
In collaboration with the Sudanese Hadhreen organisation. two soup kitchens have been set up near the Elrayan school, The people who benefit are very happy to receive a simple meal (boiled lentils with onions or fava beans) and many of them thanked the volunteers when the kitchens were launched: ‘You saved our lives’. The food aid also boosted their morale. ‘So, we are not completely forgotten,’ said a mother of four smiling.
With about €4,000, we provide 400 families with a daily meal for a month. Although we sincerely hope the devastating war situation will cease before long, we have to prepare for the worst, so we continue to call for more donations.
Donate!
Only together can we make a difference. ‘Every little bit helps’, so please help the Elrayan School students and their families survive. All money collected goes directly to the kitchens. The foundation members, Hadhreen, the facilitators, and the cooks are all volunteers.
Contributions can be made through Whydonate online platform or directly to the foundation’s bank account. Besides a one-off contribution, you can of course also decide to support our initiative for the longer term and donate monthly.
Stichting Onderwijs Oost-Afrika, Amsterdam – IBAN: NL27 TRIO 0198 367171 (BIC: TRIONL2U) – Please add ‘food aid’.
Besides donating, we also cordially invite you to ‘spread the word’ or to organise an event to raise money and awareness for the situation in Sudan. For more information, please email us at onderwijsoostafrika@yahoo.com.