A Letter from Valentino (9/3/20)

Dear Supporters and Friends,

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. We have so much to talk about considering the coronavirus pandemic: some good stories, and others, the challenges presented to us by the global effects of the noble COVID-19 pandemic.

On the good side of things:

We are all safe, our students, teachers, and host communities have not been badly hit by the pandemic. In fact, none of us have been infected, and we are continuing to work hard to ensure that all stay safe from contracting the monster disease. We have been successful in preventing the spread of the virus because our students and staff have been wonderful in adapting preventative measures (social distancing, handwashing, mask-wearing, etc.) early on in the pandemic. Thank you to our supporters, our field team, and partners who spear-headed the COVID-19 awareness campaigns. They have provided us with the knowledge and techniques necessary to keep away from the threats of the pandemic. Thank you to our donors and supporters who have contributed to our awareness campaigns. It is thanks to you that we are able to provide the supplies and materials to conduct trainings and provide the materials to prevent the spread of the virus within our communities.

Due to the harsh realities of the virus and the lockdowns, food security has been unpredictable. In order to combat the food security challenges and need, our field team has embarked on horticulture as a means of providing food to our communities. Our staff, students, and support teams have cultivated different types of crops on a large piece of land in the Nyalath and Dong Abel areas. The crops have been carefully cultivated using the approved methods of crop farming. We have cultivated a variety of crops in different fields and each is doing well. The groundnuts farm, for example, promises a high yield come harvest time. The hibiscus seeds have all germinated and we expect nice outputs. The cowpea farm is a work to enjoy as well. We have also planted watermelons and teak trees on pilot initiative projects. The weeding of all farms was just completed. The rainy season is on schedule and we expect a successful season in terms of sustainable farming and food security initiatives.

On challenging the side of things:

We face the most dynamic and uncertain socioeconomic environment compared to any other period endured by humankind during the 20th century. The slow economic performances, the worldwide travel restrictions, and the sense of despair have slowed usual goodwill response to pressing social constraints contributing so negatively in terms of services and materials support, which are fundamental to our work. We at the VAD Foundation understand that the entire global community faces a mammoth task to prepare and to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe it is not easy, and we pray that humanity will prevail, especially when all is said and done. I care.

Our Schools, Students, and Communities:

Currently, our schools are still in complete lockdown. The Marial Bai Secondary School (MBSS), which began classes with 600 students in February 2020 had to close operations, due to the pandemic. We have been hoping to resume classes, but the South Sudan nationwide lockdown, just like others, has not been lifted. Correspondingly, our dear Alok Girls Academy (AGA), the only girls’ school in a region dotted by lack of substantial women empowerment, is still in the lockdown status. The girls have now been at home for a long time. Reports from parents, teachers, and students indicate that students in upper elementary and high school sections are increasingly becoming victims of unwanted teen pregnancies and early marriages. Even more worrying is that the reproductive health crisis, including the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, is on the rise among the school-going youth. One of my growing concerns and sense of uneasiness is that many students will not manage to return to our schools after the COVID-19 pandemic is fully restrained. Even though we will have many new students to enroll due to the increasing demand for education, I just do not feel good having to lose any of the students we have already enrolled.

Our schools lack the technology to conduct virtual learning to enable us to reach out to the needy student population. With no internet, no computers, and no electricity, we operate manually in a world so far from the rest of us.Despite the challenges, we will continue to do all that we can to provide food, education, and the resources for our communities to make it through this difficult time so that we can continue our mission of bringing sustainable education opportunities to the communities of South Sudan.

I pray that you are all safe and well.

Sincerely,

Valentino