Head Back to School with 4africa

In case you missed our emails, we’re celebrating leadership this month! Arise and Shine features young men and women who are shaping the future of East Africa as we speak. At the Leadership Academy of South Sudan and beyond, we’re here to empower leaders who love Jesus, and you can pave the way! Learn more about our holistic leadership approach and how you can directly support students [here].

But first, take a peek inside the real-life experiences of a current leadership student, a college student, and former grads turned entrepreneurs:

Bold Leadership | Aruk Samuel’s Arise and Shine Story

Sometimes, leaders are made in the moment, even before the training is complete. Samuel’s story is one of unexpected twists and turns, and it will inspire you to rise up to the occasion, even when it seems impossible.

At the start of the 2020 school year, Samuel arrived at the Leadership Academy of South Sudan full of excitement and eager ambition, blissfully unaware of the dark times ahead. When COVID brought everything to an abrupt halt and Samuel returned home for the temporary closure, his world turned upside down. With power and water in short supply, Samuel expected challenges at home, but he had no idea the trip would nearly cost him his life.

“It wasn’t long after I arrived when disaster struck,” Samuel said. “A neighboring tribe attacked our village and raided all our cattle. They also abducted some women and children.”

Samuel and his family ran for their lives, just barely escaping into the bush.

“They ended up shooting a man who was running right behind me,” he said. “We hid in the bush for three months without food or clean water.”

When they finally returned home, they discovered their village had been destroyed and Samuel’s uncle had been killed.

Samuel had a choice: he could perpetuate the cycle of tribal conflict he’d known his entire life, or he could rise up and set out to reclaim his future and transform his country. He chose the latter.

Samuel rallied his community to rebuild after the destruction. Then, this spring, Samuel’s dream of returning to school finally came true. LASS reopened, and students arrived more motivated than ever. Samuel was eager to create pathways of peace with his classmates who represent 51 of South Sudan’s 64 tribes.

“My prayer is for peace to reign in South Sudan. My favorite verse, which is also our school motto, is Isaiah 60:1 – Arise and shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. It always encourages me not to lose hope for my country because there is so much I can do to transform my community.”

“LASS is a place that gives me a deep sense of belonging. I am so thankful to be alive and be able to pursue my dream of becoming a statistician in my country South Sudan. Once I am done with school, I hope to build a hospital in my community, and I believe that through discipleship and what I am taught at LASS, I will achieve my dream.”

 “All of us at LASS have an opportunity to transform South Sudan through advocating for peace and demonstrating love for one another. This is why my generation is called the ‘Bearers of love’.  I have learnt that hard times in life only help me to become a better person. I am so thankful to 4africa for giving me a chance to attain an education and for supporting us during the peak of the pandemic. The transformation of South Sudan has just begun because LASS is the vanguard of the hope we need to keep going!” 

Humble Leadership | Kiden Josephine’s Arise and Shine Story

Leadership comes in many forms. It’s not always the boldest and loudest who make the best leaders. Sometimes, the quiet, composed leaders make a resounding impact on the world. After all, Rosa Parks and Albert Einstein were said to be introverts!

Kiden Josephine arrived at the Leadership Academy of South Sudan as a “shy but very determined scholar,” as she put it. Because of her reserved personality, she didn’t immediately aspire to take on a leadership role—at least not one in the spotlight. Instead, she focused her attention on her studies and future career path. She wanted to graduate from college, settle into a solid career, and start a family. And all of those are worthy endeavors! But Josephine didn’t realize that God was calling her to be a leader even sooner. He was calling her to arise and shine right now.

“I didn’t realize that I was in complete oblivion of who I really was and why God had brought me to LASS. The need to give back to the community or leave a legacy, which entailed living beyond myself, did not occur to me at first. What I desired was what I now see as a myopic perspective of success. Not too long after I joined LASS, the saying, ‘education is what remains after school,’ started to make more sense, and all the knowledge and experience I acquired from LASS started beckoning me to heed to the call of leadership and discover my true purpose in life.”

Josephine flew through her two years at LASS with flying colors, earning herself a scholarship with the prestigious MasterCard Foundation. From there, she was ushered into a new beginning; one full of possibilities and opportunities in leadership. In her first year of university, Josephine was elected as a council representative of her college of social sciences and a cabinet member in the Makerere University South Sudanese Students’ Association.

“I was so excited to be a part of the university leadership and devoted myself to fulfill my obligations. However, my leadership responsibilities did not stop there. Before I knew it, I was selected among 2,000 students to be a part of a group of peer trainers under the Makerere University Gender Mainstreaming Directorate. I was entrusted with the responsibility of training fellow students in sexual harassment and serve as an advisor on issues of sexual harassment in my school of social sciences through the Safer University Project.”

Josephine realized that leading comes naturally to her, and good leadership requires lots of behind-the-scenes work. If you’re willing to take action and speak up for what it right, you can be a leader! From there, she kept finding ways to lead and serve.

First, Josephine partnered with three colleagues on a project to combat hate speech among university students called the ‘No Hate Campaign.’ They found sponsors to help fund the organization, and they work extremely hard to change the mindsets of college students regarding online hateful content, especially on social media platforms.

Now, Josephine continually looks for ways to advocate for the vulnerable and speak up for change.

“LASS made me the leader I have become today. The academy nurtured me into a strong and bold young woman, who is able to stand out in the crowd and make a meaningful contribution to society. I hope to continue leading wherever God places me even after university, and pursue my passion to promote peace, unity, and equality.”

Entrepreneurial Leadership | Small Business Stories

“Only a life lived for others is a life worth living.”

Since the Leadership Academy of South Sudan first began in 2014, we’ve had quite a few young entrepreneurs take on small business ownership roles. If they can dream it, they can achieve it. We’ve seen everything from transportation services to market vendors to chicken farmers! Even a local juice business. Their goals are to provide for their families, enrich their communities, and share their love for Jesus along the way.

For instance, Khemis Ladu is not only the LASS alumni coordinator at 4africa, he is also a successful chicken farmer in Nimule, South Sudan!

Khemis began the farm just after graduating from LASS in 2015. However, war broke out, and many people fled their homes (which in turn decreased demand for chicken). But, through his university studies, Khemis learned that many now-successful business owners struggled at the beginning, too. He picked back up and tried again, this time achieving more success.

He initially started with 70 chicks, and he now has over 250. He plans to expand the chicken project by partnering with hotels and catering companies to be their supplier for poultry products. His projected goal is to have 3,000 chickens and eight employees by April 2022.

But it’s more than just chicken farming. Khemis hopes to offer reliable employment opportunities for those in his communities while serving as a demonstration farm for others in his area and fellow LASS graduates. He wants his earnings to support students and establish schools.

Meanwhile, 2017 graduate Apollo Dominic has started a hardware business with five employees!

“My dream is to not only be a strong distributor of hardware supplies but the leading distributor of hardware supplies in South Sudan. I also intend to empower youth by employing them and sharing my business knowledge and skills.”

His classmate, Sadia Faisal, is a pastry chef who can whip up incredible cakes! She tried her hand at baking during an entrepreneurial workshop at LASS a few years ago. She loved it so much that she took a baking class at university, where she fine-tuned her natural knack for sweet treats. Sadia began her business in college, taking orders from classmates who needed desserts for birthdays, weddings, and other occasions. She was even able to continue baking for her community during the lockdown, which furthered her business even more. Now, she’s a successful pastry chef in South Sudan!

Sadia believes in the ‘Arise and Shine’ school motto:

“We don’t have to wait for everything to be provided by our families and LASS. We can use our hands to generate some income for ourselves right now. Once we have the fundamental skills, anything is possible. I am very happy that I pursued baking because it has changed my life and allowed me to help others. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for LASS, so I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend.”

Beyond the Academy | Jennifer’s Ministry Story

Leadership doesn’t stop at the Academy or even after graduation; we strive to empower local leaders, too. Since everything we do is to glorify God, we strive to develop servant-hearted leaders and equip them with opportunities to grow their faith and expand their community reach.

The Disciple Making Movement provides the tools and connections to do that. Community members and local church leaders alike are invited to attend ministry training. These interactive sessions teach committed believers how to start small Discovery Bible Groups (DBGs), which meet at homes, churches, or even under trees.

Whether pastors of entire congregations or small group leaders, these devoted Christ-followers learn to effectively lead others and inspire personal relationships with Jesus. Just as the name suggests, DMM sparks a movement!

Jennifer has a steadfast spirit and a compassionate heart, but she didn’t realize her influence within the community until she started a DBG at the primary school where she teaches. It filled up so fast that she’s looking to start more!

“DMM is about going out and making disciples and giving them hope and encouragement to share with others. Before, I did not take the initiative to move out of the church to make disciples. I used to think that it was the duty of church leaders. But DMM has challenged me to lead and embrace the role of a true disciple. This training has opened my eyes and given me the authority and confidence to go boldly and begin bible study groups in my community.”

Arise and Shine by Joining the 4africa Family

We hope you enjoyed these inspirational student stories. Their school motto, “arise and shine,” is a call for us, too. As believers, we’re all called to shine our lights and lead with integrity. You can support that mission by praying for our students and supporting our Arise & Shine campaign focused on empowering faith-filled and servant-hearted leaders.

Go to Arise and Shine to transform lives today.