Dear supporters of Hope for Ariang,

Greetings from Ariang, South Sudan, where we have been busy preparing to begin construction on the Ariang School! We are excited to report that a great deal of progress has been made!

Reception from the Village:
A week ago, I took Barron Boyd, President of the Board of Directors of Hope for Ariang and Jen Marlowe, filmmaker for Rebuilding Hope to Ariang. Our car was greeted three kilometers away from Ariang by 300 villagers who were running to meet us, dancing, singing and carrying a banner they had made which read: Long Live Honorable Barron Boyd! God will bless you on your coming to Ariang School. Community of Ayien Boma (Ariang) are glad for your cooperation for building of Ariang School. Ayien (Ariang) is glad to have you as our guests!

We all gathered under a large, shady tree while the chief and other prominent villagers spoke about the significance of the school to the community. They especially acknowledged Barron, stating that as a professor, his level of education inspires them to educate their children.

The ceremony was supposed to mark the official “groundbreaking” of the school, but the villagers are so enthusiastic about their school that they could not wait; they had already begun digging trenches for the foundation. Barron and I, alongside men, women and children from the village, dug deeper into the trenches for what will be the foundation. The villagers also proudly showed us the 300,000 bricks they had made last year which are waiting to become the walls of the school.