Help teachers in South Sudan provide a second chance to children left behind by the education system.

Why we care: In South Sudan, 92% of women cannot read or write, and only 6% of girls who enroll complete primary education, while just 12% of teachers are women.

How we’re solving this: Helping train 150 new women teachers to support South Sudanese children build skills to transition to the formal education system.

Enduring two decades of civil war before being declared a new country on July 9, 2010, South Sudan has one of the lowest primary school enrollments and highest dropout rates in the world. Families have been displaced and forced to deprioritize education. For girls and women, in particular, this has meant missing the opportunity to learn how to read, write and pursue and education.

Through this project, BRAC seeks to provide initial training for 150 new teachers to join its non-formal education program, which aims to prepare students—60 percent of whom are girls—for admission to South Sudan’s formal government school system at the grade 5 level. The funding from this project will help BRAC open 150 new “second-chance” schools in addition to the 175 currently in operation.

Combining little-to-no homework and flexible school times, BRAC’s schools focus on maintaining a high rate of graduation for students that have been neglected or left behind by the government school system. As with all students in BRAC schools, our curriculum is customized to the local context while also teaching children to think for themselves rather than just perform rote memorization. This kind of preparation empowers students to be better classmates, better prepared to enter the workforce and to be better citizens. BRAC South Sudan has already achieved an 86 percent success rate in mainstreaming BRAC school graduates to government schools.

In addition, BRAC also promotes gender equality in the workforce and the community by training local women as teachers. These teachers serve as an inspiration for younger girls and foster school attendance because parents perceive BRAC’s community schools as safe and secure places for their children. After an initial 15-day training, teachers receive one- or two-day monthly refresher trainings based on their grade level.

Utilizing the same approach, we have successfully transitioned more than 9 million children to formal government schools in Bangladesh. With your help, we hope to do the same across South Sudan.