Plans for the Future

As Marol is only one step in what we hope to become a county-wide educational assistance program in Gogrial East County, we have many ideas on how to improve education in the county and beyond. But at the moment we are still focusing on Marol to make it fully functional and efficient in a way that allows it to be a model school in the region. To this end, in addition to improving Marol’s facilities and upgrading the capacity of its personnel, we plan to create a teacher training center within the school to run during the dry season months when the school session is out. This would prepare us toward an eventual establishment of a senior secondary school, as graduates of Marol do not currently have a clear path beyond their primary level. We also plan to solicit participation of the community by way of nominal fees, which we will save and invest it in establishing another primary school in other education-starved communities within Warrap State or somewhere else in South Sudan.

Funding and Progress

When we started in 2008, we had made a three-phase construction plan, and a $200,000. dollar estimate of cost. Below is the breakdown of what is accomplished and what remains unfunded. The following figures are in US dollars:

Classrooms: 8 classrooms are needed, 6 of which have been completed. The cost of construction is $12,000 each, thus $24,000 will be needed to complete the last two classrooms.

Library: a library is needed, which has not yet been constructed. $12,000 is needed to construct a library.

Storage Building: a secure storage building is needed to replace the current mud/straw huts that are in use now. The projected cost of construction is $12,000.

Benches and Desks: 150 benches and desks are needed, each of which costs $100. Thus $15,000 are needed for the purchase of the necessary benches and desks.

Staff Office Building: 2 staff office buildings are needed, niether of which have been built. The projected cost is $12,000 for each, thus $24,000 is needed to construct two staff/office buildings.

Kitchen: a kitchen is needed to prepare 300-500 student lunches each day. $12,000 is need to construct this kitchen.

In adding together our funding needs we see that nearly $100,000 is needed to complete the necessary additions to the Marol School.

It is our wish that these unfunded programs will form two new phases. The most important item in the next phase is the library. We would like this library/reading room to be a safe environment for both books and computers, when we get them. It will be followed by the benches and desks to furnish the classrooms. At the moment we wish to keep staff offices, storage rooms and kitchen to form the last phase. So our most urgent funding needs are the remaining two classrooms, the library and the benches.