High rate of illiteracy in South Sudan substantially slows down social, healthcare and economic development. The main objective of the project was to increase accessibility and quality of education for children and adults. The project was run from November, 2010 to February, 2012, and it was focused on reconstruction of the Don Bosco Bakindo Primary School in Manguo and improvement of educational conditions at the school.
Half-destroyed parts of the school were replaced by two modern classes, a staff room and an office. Unsuitable hygienic conditions of the area around the school were solved by new toilets for pupils. Detached premises for girls and boys contribute to better school attendance of girls. Thanks to new furniture – tables and desks, the pupils do not have to sit on rocks and tree branches brought from outside. After classes, there are various free-time activities organized for children; several holiday camps are organized, too. In the school year 2011 (from March to December), as many as 600 pupils attended the school, together with more than 100 children in a kindergarten. In December, 2011, 21 pupils took final examinations.
The project strived to solve the lack of qualified and motivated teachers – the burning issue in education – by educational courses for teachers. The project also contributed to increased literacy of adults through evening courses focused on writing and reading in the new classes with electrical lighting. The project was supported by budgetary resources of the Slovak Republic through SlovakAid, the official programme of development assistance, by the sum of 162.115,20 euro.