18/12: The Valentino-Franco connection
Several people, including our treasurer, noticed the Nicholas Kristof's New York Times column on Valentino Achak Deng's secondary school in Mariel Bai. The protagonist in David Eggers's book What Is the What, Valentino has established a beautiful campus in his part of Bahr-el-Ghazal.
Our executive director, an elder in the Bahr-el-Ghazal community, has been a quiet assistant in this effort. Franco helped organize David and Valentino's first trip together to South Sudan. He's served on a discussion panel with David, and is on the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation's speakers' list. Kristof's column discusses Valentino's ambition to enroll girls in his school in Mariel Bai. Valentino has turned to Franco for advice on the best way to recruit and retain girls, and to reassure their parents that their daughters will be safe.
Right now, Valentino's secondary school in Mariel Bai is the closest one to our primary school in Wunlang. We hope to supply some of the best-prepared primary-school graduates to Valentino's school. We know they'll be proud to announce that they studied in Wunlang.
Our executive director, an elder in the Bahr-el-Ghazal community, has been a quiet assistant in this effort. Franco helped organize David and Valentino's first trip together to South Sudan. He's served on a discussion panel with David, and is on the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation's speakers' list. Kristof's column discusses Valentino's ambition to enroll girls in his school in Mariel Bai. Valentino has turned to Franco for advice on the best way to recruit and retain girls, and to reassure their parents that their daughters will be safe.
Right now, Valentino's secondary school in Mariel Bai is the closest one to our primary school in Wunlang. We hope to supply some of the best-prepared primary-school graduates to Valentino's school. We know they'll be proud to announce that they studied in Wunlang.
