In Sudan, Lift Up the Vulnerable (LUV) currently supports 450 elementary and high school students, but rapid program growth and complexities of working in a warzone have led to a lack of classroom space.
In February, LUV became the recipient of two gifts totaling nearly $400,000 from the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation in Birmingham, AL, and a private family donor-advised fund (DAF) to complete its educational infrastructure capacity at Our Father’s Cleft (OFC), in the Nuba Mountains.
Decades of war between the north and the south, and a re-eruption of targeted genocide enacted by the Sudan government between 2011-2019, have led to Sudan’s Nuba Mountains being ravaged by conflict and becoming one of the hardest-to-reach places in our network. In addition, infrastructure development in this region has largely ceased, and hundreds of thousands live in extreme poverty. For over half of the year, with no bridges or paved roads, visits and sending resources have been impossible because of the rainy season.
In these hard-to-reach places, LUV and our partners are committed to standing with the most vulnerable.
Since 2010, our local partners have remained committed to protecting and raising up a new generation of peacemakers through Christ-centered education. As Ezekiel Ayub, indigenous director of OFC, often shares: “We are investing in the heart to head knowledge of our students. Head knowledge is essential but head knowledge alone is not enough; it is when heart understanding comes in that we will see our communities transformed. At OFC schools, we are investing both forms of knowing into our students.”
Last year, a grant from the IPC Foundation helped us build the final high school block required at Hope For South Sudan (HFSS). However, at OFC, we have constructed makeshift grass shelters and found creative solutions (like studying in storage rooms), but these are temporary and insufficient for a beneficial learning environment. Additionally, the grass shelters are rendered useless when the annual rains come, disrupting education.
The current funding will complete two school blocks (or eight classrooms total) and latrines at OFC. Four of the rooms will be used for high school (including a science laboratory). The remaining four rooms will support our elementary school by providing more classroom space to grow two new pre-school classes so that more children will have access to a stronger foundation for learning.
“We are deeply honored to be the recipient of this significant investment by the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation and our friends from a private family DAF. These generous gifts will help us deepen our education program, which is our largest trafficking prevention initiative, and provide safe spaces for students to learn in, throughout the year. These resources equip us to continue strategically and comprehensively enriching students’ academic experiences. This is a further step towards actualizing our vision of long-term transformation in war-torn nations through equipping and empowering children and women who are vulnerable to exploitation,” said LUV’s CEO, Audrey Moore.
“Partnerships and donations like these are more than just bricks and mortar; they are saving lives by offering hope and healing for the most vulnerable children in our world today.”
LUV’s holistic education program provides academic excellence, spiritual mentorship, and practical tools that empower students to transform their own lives and communities.
“The Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation supports all that you do, and we pray every day for both the children and women you are helping but also for the safety of your team. This is not easy work, but you are changing lives for the better,” said Denise Moore, Executive Director for the Foundation.
To learn more about LUV’s ministry and our long-term strategies to prevent human trafficking in conflict zones, please contact Audrey Moore, CEO today: audrey@liftupthevulnerable.org