History

2015

A project began to build a stone security wall around the perimeter of St Timothy’s School, to replace the wooden fence that had been destabilised by ants, and increase the safety of the 600 children terrorised from the increasing number of motorcycles driving through the compound.

During 2015 through donations and fundraising events The St Timothy Foundation has continued to support St Timothy’s School and Diawo School in Nzara.

The St Timothy Foundation has also increased the grants to the popular and effective women’s microfinance project in Nzara to enable 42 women to generate a sustainable income and be self-sufficient.

The Foundation received photographs and reports from Bishop Samuel Peni (Nzara diocese) when he visited Pewsey in 2015.

The St Timothy Foundation provided training and equipment for 16 new Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) plus refresher training and updated equipment for 20 previously trained TBAs.

In March 2015 a new borehole near St. Timothy’s School was completed to provide St Timothy’s and Diawo Schools, the health clinic and the community with reliable, clean, safe water. This borehole is now serving about 500 families that have an average size of 7-12 members each.

David Gough relays a story from his South Sudan visit. “As we walked on the outskirts of the town we came upon a boy drawing water from a dirty pool on the track. Some of us spoke to him to discover that the nearest borehole was one mile away and he was bringing water back for his mother to cook dinner. Unfortunately, this is all too common in the water scarce communities in impoverished remote rural locations of South Sudan. It is good to know that the community in Nzara now has a reliable supply of clean, safe water.”

Photos below show a crowd of local people standing around the pristine pump.

2014

St Timothy’s School grew to 389 students with six teachers and six classes. Two classes are meeting under the mango trees as there are only 4 classrooms.

A project to install a borehole to provide reliable, safe and clean water to the community of Nzara was begun.

During his visit to Nzara during June 2014 St Timothy Foundation trustee Robert de Berry became acutely aware of the inadequacies of the water supply to the community. Water was having to be collected in large, heavy plastic containers and carried on the head to the clinic and schools up to 8 times a day. Queues at the pumps and wells are long.

The St. Timothy Foundation teamed up with Fields of Life, another charity already engaged in a project drilling boreholes for water in South Sudan. David Gough, the Fields of Life development manager negotiated their contractor to drill a borehole to supply St. Timothy’s School, Diawo School and the medical centre in Nzara plus the surrounding community. The expected outcomes are access to safe drinking water to the pupils and the Clinic, improved health of the pupils, enough water for each day, a reduction in the burden of fetching water from very far places.

A grant was given for 30 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) to receive training and medical kits, plus refresher training for 36 existing TBAs. In 2014 it was recorded that one out of seven pregnant women in the South Sudan area died due to pregnancy related causes.

2013

The St. Timothy Foundation was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission and was given the charity number 1151171. This replaced the Sudan Support Group.

There were 309 students at St Timothy’s School. The parents increased their support for the school by providing food for the children and the firewood to cook it. They also supplied two cooks and a person to carry water.

The church allocated some land for growing vegetables.

Through donations and fundraising events, The St Timothy Foundation continued to support St Timothy’s School and Diawo School in Nzara in the provision of free education. The schools are running well; the children are well behaved, follow the Ugandan curriculum and take standard Ugandan tests to monitor their achievement. The St Timothy Foundation also increased the grants to the popular and effective women’s microfinance project in Nzara to enable more women to generate a sustainable income and be self-sufficient. The Foundation received photographs and reports from Bishop Samuel Peni (Nzara diocese) when he visited Pewsey in June 2013. All the work of The St Timothy Foundation in 2013 was in The Republic of South Sudan.

Once again war has broken out in South Sudan.

2012

There were now 175 students in the school and a second block of two classrooms was needed. A generous grant from the Barnabas fund provided the funding and work began.

There was now a need for three qualified teachers, one assistant and a cook. The parents supplied porridge and tea for preparation at the school so the children could have a simple meal during the day. The parents also contributed to paying the cook.

Numbers continued to rise so there had to be a selection process for entry to the school. The South Sudan Group agreed to pay the three qualified teachers plus the running costs of the school. The parents gave money to the Ugandan teachers for them to buy food.

Daiwo school continued with 60 pupils and two local teachers.

2011

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011.

The Foundation Stone for the first building block of two classrooms for St Timothy’s School was laid and blessed by Bishop Samuel Peni.

The Sudan Support Group paid for one two-classroom block with the help of securing a grant and provided furniture, a water tank and a wooden security fence. The school was named St Timothy after Timothy in Paul’s epistles. He was a young and trusted disciple of Paul. By now there were 135 pupils! Bishop Samuel asked for a second fully qualified teacher from Uganda.

He also asked for help to establish a second smaller school, Diawo school in Ringasi. This was because the only available education to the children there was across a dangerous highway crossing. Some children had already been killed trying to cross the busy road to reach St Timothy’s.

The Sudan Support Group agreed to these requests.

The Microfinance project was expanded to 39 women with an increase to £200 capital per woman loaned. 28 of the women met and resolved to pay an interest of £5 on their loans to expand the fund value and enable a gradual increase in the number of women who could take a loan in the scheme.

2010

In March 2010 the Reverend Samuel Peni became Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Nzara and put his plan that he had created with the community the previous autumn into action. Education was central to the plan. It would be the cornerstone for future progress in the development of Nzara.

Bishop Samuel asked for help to build a school for children between 4 and 8 years old. The Sudan Support Group agreed to provide £2,225 per year to fund a qualified teacher from Uganda and to help with funding the materials needed. An assistant was found to help the qualified teacher.

The local people, though poor, were very keen to be involved and did all they could to enable the education to begin. The Mothers’ Union and parents of prospective pupils worked together determined “to lay a firm and quality education for the future of our county and nation“.

An “under the tree school” was opened with about 30 children and was free to all children able to attend. Funding was given for rolls of red fabric so that the ladies of Nzara could make the school uniforms. The school was named The St Timothy’s Pre-Primary School. The school was supervised and monitored by the Diocese of Nzara. The Ugandan model for the syllabus and examinations was chosen because its high quality is internationally recognised.

The running costs and teachers’ salaries were paid by the Sudan Support Group.

At the end of the year Bishop Samuel asked for support to build a school. Much teaching time was lost when the weather was wet, and progress would be more consistent with sheltered accommodation.

In 2009 a project to provide Microfinance to women was launched. 15 women received the equivalent of £100 to begin a small business to aid their financial independence and feed and clothe their families. During the year this grew to 21 women.

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2009

In 2009 there was a further attack by the LRA and 40,000 people were displaced from their homes. In Yambio there were 17,000 refugees in the area our funds were supporting. The Sudan Support Fund sent funds to relieve starvation as the people had been cut off from the area growing food.

In September 2009 Reverend Samuel Peni became the bishop-elect for the new diocese of Nzara. Bishop Samuel consulted widely and created a clear mission and plan for the diocese. Education was at the heart of this plan.

2008

There were renewed attacks from insurgents in Western Equatoria where Yambio is situated in Sudan. The programme to educate 60 women to give them a chance to lift their families out of poverty was suspended during the insurgence.

The picture below shows a view of Nzara, South Sudan taken from above.

2007

A three-year women’s education program was begun for 60 women who would not have otherwise had a chance of education. Thie curriculum included literacy, applied numeracy and science. The women met under the trees because the building available had been bombed during the civil war. The Sudan Support Fund paid for the ruined building to be repaired for their use as a study.

This was an extremely important step in many women’s lives – Sudan has one of the lowest rates of literacy in the world at only 2% of the population having received primary education. Opportunities to lift their families out of poverty and improve their lives were now available.

The following year, history and home economics were added to the curriculum. The ladies learnt to speak, read and write in English and lead Bible studies in their own language.

2006

The Reverend Samuel Peni, from Yambio in Sudan, visited the The Vale of Pewsey Team for six weeks and stayed with Derek and Claudia Calam. Samuel made a great impression on the people he met. The Team Council took the decision to support Samuel’s ministry. The Sudan Support Group was formed and raised £750 to support a Christian Music Festival which was well supported by 3,000 young people brought together for fellowship and Bible teaching. After two decades of civil war when villages had been destroyed and communities scattered this success gave much hope for the future.

Another £300 was raised and used to buy bicycles for youth workers who travel long distances to reach remote areas.

An AIDS Awareness programme was given to youth leaders facing the challenge of refugees returning from countries where AIDS was endemic.