Sudan

In 2005 a comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed following decades of war which had had a devastating effect on the infrastructure and the government's ability to provide basic services. The Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) was a major provider of education services during the war, operating well over 200 formal and informal schools across Sudan.  With the arrival of peace, the church sought to expand, develop and improve the quality of this service.

In 2006 the Archbishop of Canterbury visited Sudan and since then the International Development Secretariat (IDS) has been involved in supporting the ECS in a building capacity for the design, implementation and impact assessment of education programmes. This was achieved by triangulating a relationship between Christian Aid, Reconcile Consulting and the dioceses of Malakal and Renk in the Upper Nile region, a region which saw a disproportionate level of damage during the war. The IDS has continued to work with all partners to build relationships and strengthen the ECS's capacity to provide education to its communities effectively and sustainable.

As a result of this dialogue, in 2006, the dioceses of Malakal and Renk, both in Upper Nile State, received funding for the expansion of six ECS schools and the building of two new ones.

Reconcile Consulting ltd is a Christian not for profit organisation that has worked alongside the church to strengthen their capacity to deliver their projects, through training and support in project and financial management, communication and strategic planning. This extra support has helped to strengthen the relationship between the donor and the local church partner, allowing the diocese to demonstrate to existing and future donors their capacity as a partner to deliver effective programmes.

Both dioceses have built strong partnerships with Christian Aid and after the successful completion of the initial year's work and secured further funding to continue the school building work for a following year. The two Dioceses now run nine primary schools and primary secondary school.

The IDS has supported the ECS, enabling these dioceses to realise a key objective within their Vision and Mission: To provide education to their local communities. The second phase of this programme has provided for capacity building at the national church level.

These powerful partnerships have resulted in the following key achievements:

• 1190 new school places have been provided for children with little or no access to education. By the end of 2008 another 490 new school places will be available.
• By the end of 2008 children at all the schools will have access to pit latrines and five of the schools will have access to clean water during the rainy season.
• All children attending the nine primary schools receive World Food Programme school feeding, resulting in increasing enrolment and retention and reducing illness.

• Girls make up 40-50% of school places.

It has also been working alongside USPG and CMS Britain to support a significant scaling up of the Provincial Education work of the ECS, in the area of teacher training. This work has provided training for over 700 teachers.

Recent items relating to Sudan are shown below:

October 2009

Archbishop supports the work of charity Five Talents
29 October 2009
At a reception in aid of Five Talents, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, welcomed guests…

June 2009

Archbishop calls for commitment to sustainable peace in Sudan
18 June 2009
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has issued a statement in support of today's 'Sudan…

December 2007

Brief Press Encounter at Singapore University
4 December 2007
The Archbishop responds to press questions about the content of the Building Bridges seminar, the environment…

November 2007

Transcript of Newsnight Interview Concerning Events in Sudan
29 November 2007
The Archbishop is interviewed by the BBC's Religious Affairs correspondent about the jailing of a teacher…

January 2007

New Year Message 2007 - 'Hunger for Justice Will Change the World'.
1 January 2007
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has said that we need to feel the same hunger for justice…

September 2006

Prayer for Darfur
15 September 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined other faith leaders in expressing renewed concern for Darfur…

April 2006

Sudan Shows Easter Message Not Getting Through
18 April 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has said today that the ongoing suffering in Darfur and…

March 2006

Transcript of Archbishop's BBC Interview with Sir David Frost in Sudan
5 March 2006
The Archbishop visited southern Sudan, to offer support to Christian communities and to those projects…

February 2006

Archbishop: Sudan 'is Not Forgotten'
27 February 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has begun an 8 day visit to Sudan by telling the Christian…

Archbishop in Sudan: Religions of Peace Have to Show Trust in Each Other
27 February 2006
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that the claims of both Christianity and Islam…

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