We believe South Sudan is full of great beauty and strength.
Aweil is located in the heart of the most populated area of the country and is the home of our oldest radio station.
discover aweil
Tonj is located at the convergence of several proud tribes and is the home of our first water ministry team.
Mvolo is located further south than our other ministry areas and is the home of the Jur people.
When South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011 to became the world's newest country, it was left as one of the least developed nations in the world. From the end of British colonialism in 1956 to South Sudan independence in 2011, the people had experienced almost 40 years of civil war. The generations of instability left its toll, and the statistics were devastating as they became their own nation.
• In a country the size of Texas, there were less than 100 miles of paved road.
• Less than a third of the population had access to safe water.
• There were fewer than 100 doctors and only 15 hospitals for over 10 million people.
• As a result, South Sudan had the world's highest maternal mortality rate (2 times that of the next closest country).
• In fact, the average girl was 3 times more likely of dying in childbirth than of graduating from 6th grade.
• This led to 75% of the adult population unable to read or write.
• It also meant that 42% of the total population was under the age of 15 years old.
• This left South Sudan ranked as the least developed nation in the world on the Human Development Index (HDI).
The challenges went on and on. Many saw South Sudan as just a war-torn, poverty-stricken desolation. It was a place where few people were willing to go.
But with so much need comes so much opportunity. The South Sudanese people are strong, and they have a dream to build a nation for Christ. We have a unique opportunity to partner with our brothers and sisters of this new nation to help them build from the ground up. This is our commitment.
Aweil is in the state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal located in the northwest corner of South Sudan. It is home to South Sudan's largest tribe – the Dinka – a people who rely on cattle herding at riverside camps in the dry season and growing sorghum in the rainy season. The Aweil region is one of the most populated areas of the country.
We began our work in Aweil in 2005 with a trip focused on pastor training. In 2009 we built our first radio station in partnership with Cush4Christ, a ministry based in Aweil. In 2020 we launched a repeater station 50 miles to the west of the base station to extend the reach to even more listeners. The stations combined have approximately 1.3 million people within the broadcast range. Since building the stations, we have supported the radio broadcasts by distributing almost 90,000 solar-powered radios. We have also drilled 30 water wells within the region and repaired 90 wells through our spare parts and maintenance program.
Tonj is in the state of Warrap located at the convergence of three tribes of South Sudan – the Dinka, Luo, and Bongo peoples. The people of Tonj are proud cattle keepers but also grow crops like sorghum and peanuts to sustain their families. Tonj is a key town along the main trade route from Uganda heading north to Sudan.
We began our work in Tonj in 2011 with an assessment trip to determine the opportunities for ministry. In 2012 we built a radio tower on the property of a medical ministry, In Deed and Truth. By 2015 we outgrew our space so we purchased land, moved our tower, and sent a team of long-term missionaries to support the ongoing radio and water programs. In 2022, we launched a repeater tower 50 miles northeast of the base station bringing the radio broadcast to over 1 million people within the range of both towers. We have distributed over 25,000 solar-powered radios in Tonj. We have also drilled 50 water wells within the region and repaired 43 wells through our spare parts and maintenance program.
Mvolo is in the state of Western Equatoria and is home to the Jur people – a minority tribe in South Sudan. The Jur predominantly work as farmers, growing crops such as sorghum, peanuts, sesame, okra, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. A peaceful and gentle people, the Jur are well-known for warmly welcoming guests.
We began our work in Mvolo in 2002 when former Executive Director, Peter Swann, and his wife lived there as missionaries for two years. Over the years we continued to invest in the spiritual growth of the people through Bible training trips. In 2011 we drilled our first water well in the area, and we have now drilled over 65 water wells within the Mvolo region and repaired 68 wells through our spare parts and maintenance program. In 2016 we built the first radio station ever to broadcast in Jur Modo – the mother tongue of the local tribe. The station has approximately 600,000 people within its broadcast range. Since launching the station, we have distributed over 20,000 solar-powered radios to support the broadcasts.
Because of the lack of development and communications technology in South Sudan, we have always maintained a regional support office in Kampala, Uganda. Kampala is a busy city with around 2 million people. On the property of the office is a team house which has hosted hundreds of volunteers and staff over the years. This office facilitates project purchasing and logistics, visa processing, as well as staff respite and retreats. Our aviation partner, MAF, is based at a nearby private airstrip - allowing for easy entry into South Sudan.
Nasir is in the state of Upper Nile located on the Sobat River in the northeast side of South Sudan. The cattle-keeping Nuer tribe, known for the six horizontal lines scarred across their foreheads, calls this area home. This region has a unique soil from the rest of the country. During the rainy season, the black cotton soil transforms into a sticky, tar-like substance making travel difficult.
We began our work in Nasir in 2007 as we commissioned a South Sudanese refugee from Nasir to return as a missionary to his own people. We drilled our first water well there in 2009 and constructed a radio tower there the same year. Over the next 5 years we drilled a total of 9 wells, trained 13 church leaders in an oral Bible school, and distributed 4,000 solar-powered radios.
*Unfortunately, due to civil unrest beginning in December 2013 and the subsequent insecurity in the area, we have suspended our operations in Nasir. We still pray to be able to return to Nasir to continue our work among the Nuer.
Our vision is to reach every village of South Sudan with the spread of the gospel and community development. We determine new locations for ministry after visiting potential sites on survey trips. Among the factors we consider for new ministry are potential partnerships, local cooperation, level of need, and potential for impact.
We need men and women who can teach our staff the word of God and other technical topics.
Join our next delivery of solar radios and help hand them out to people from the remotest of villages.
Traveling to South Sudan is a truly unique experience. Our trips build on each other to have a cumulative impact. They also are life-changing for those who go.
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With South Sudan as the world's youngest country, we have the unique opportunity to build a nation for Christ.
We do this by partnering with the people of South Sudan to provide every village with sustainable access to safe water, healthy churches, and the gospel by radio.
