Project Education South Sudan

The mission of Project Education South Sudan (PESS) is to help fund and mentor communities to build primary schools and educational infrastructure in rural South Sudan. PESS emphasizes the inclusion of girls and women in the educational opportunities it promotes. PESS provides clean water wells, commercial grinding mills, cinderblock-making equipment, sewing machines and annual school supply money. Beyond brick and mortar, we mentor indigenous community and girls' leadership development, provide teacher training, feminine hygiene, health and income literacy programs. We have a US Executive Director and a South Sudan Director, who is a former "Lost Boy," to monitor, assess and implement programs and strengthen ties with the four communities we work with. We serve 3,000 children in four schools.

In 2001, Denver Episcopalians Carol and Rich Rinehart became two of many mentoring "parents" to more than a dozen "Lost Boys" who wound up at St. John's Cathedral. Today, a number of Episcopal organizations partner with PESS, including St. Andrew's parish in Denver, Christ Church Cathedral in the Diocese of Indianapolis, the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, American Friends of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, the Diocese of Bor in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, and Anglican Women's Empowerment.