Africa ELI News
Articles of Interest
Amid crisis, South Sudan’s education chief sets out an ambitious agenda
Africa ELI Newsletters and Blog Posts
Press for Progress
March 8th is International Women’s Day (IWD). It's a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call-to-action for accelerating gender parity. The IWD theme for 2018 is #PressforProgress. In...
Where Are the Students?
You have read about Africa ELI relocating its 72 students from Yei, South Sudan to safer locations after armed conflict broke out in July of 2016. But where, exactly, were those safer locations? For the students who chose to remain in South Sudan, we enrolled them at...
The Week in Pictures – Feb. 17th, 2018
If it's true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then this week we have 8,000 words for you! Here are eight photos that sum up the first week of our new school year. Students began arriving on campus. Requirements for boarding school...
Introducing Zaharah
We are pleased to announce that Zaharah Namanda has accepted the position of Assistant Monitoring and Program Officer with Africa ELI. Zaharah is based in Uganda, where she will be working closely with Africa ELI students and partner schools. Her main responsibilities...
Her Potential Shows
Martha had traveled 160 miles from Jonglei state to Yei River County to attend school at Excel International Academy. She showed much bravery by leaving home and traveling so far in search of a high school education. It was at Excel, in 2012, that we met Martha and...
Back to School
For the past couple of months, Africa ELI students have been on their long school break, which runs from December until February. It is equivalent to summer vacation in the U.S. Some have used the time to earn money for personal needs or to help their families, while...
A Course of Action
We've written about the crisis of 2016-2017 in which fighting between armed factions impacted the Yei region of South Sudan. We described how our students were displaced and their classroom education abruptly disrupted. In response, our work temporarily shifted from...
Charles Weighs in on 2017
Last Saturday, we posted a blog with Africa ELI’s 7 High Points from 2017. This week, our Monitoring and Program Officer, Alemi Charles, wrote an email sharing his thoughts about some of our 2017 achievements, which you may like to read. Dear Anita, Happy New Year...
7 High Points of 2017
Before the clock strikes midnight tomorrow... You still have time to support Africa ELI students in 2017! An affordable year-end financial gift made today will help us continue to assist young women in South Sudan receive an education and acheive their goals. Give...
Recognizing the Barriers to Girls Education in South Sudan
Part 3: School In the first article in our series on recognizing the barriers to girls’ education in South Sudan, we identified four spheres of society in which barriers are present: family, school, community, and national. In the second article of the series, we...
Recognizing the Barriers to Girls Education in South Sudan
Part 2: Family In the first article in our series on recognizing the barriers to girls’ education in South Sudan, we identified four spheres of society in which barriers are present: family, school, community, and national. In this post, we will take a look at the...
Q&A with Lauryn Bragg, Africa ELI Board Member
One of the things Africa ELI benefits from the most is the variety of academic and vocational backgrounds found among its board members and volunteers. New ideas and approaches are born from this array of knowledge and skills. Lauryn Bragg definitely does her part to...
Recognizing the Barriers to Girls’ Education in South Sudan
Africa ELI staff were greatly concerned when they heard that one of the senior girls would not be returning to Yei for her final term of high school. She was a well-performing student. She routinely participated in co-curricular activities, and had many friends on...
Q&A with Cheyenne Summers, Africa ELI Board Member
Have you ever heard the phrase “step up to the plate?” It means to take action, bear responsibility, and do your part. When it comes to helping people in need, Cheyenne Summers steps up to the plate. She goes to crisis areas, places in the world where people are in...
What is #GivingTuesday?
#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in all 50 states and in countries around the world. Millions of people have come together to support and champion the causes they...
Elizabeth’s Story
Courage. Determination. Perseverance. Yesterday I was looking at a roster of the Africa ELI sponsored students. As I read their names, I thought of how extraordinary it is for them simply to be in school. I wondered what it must take for them to be able to fight...
Q&A with Tami Carsillo, Africa ELI Board President
When it comes to an ideal board president for Africa ELI, Tami Carsillo checks all the boxes. Her education, experience, and interests are well aligned with Africa ELI’s mission and objectives. Tami was elected board president earlier this year, having served as a...
Education and Positive Social Change
I recently had a discussion with a friend of mine about Africa ELI and our philosophy. My friend asked me to name one of the fundamental beliefs that drives our mission. I responded with a phrase that comes up often in discussions with my colleagues at...