Kristof Profiles Valentino Deng In NYT

Be sure to check out Nicholas Kristof’s editorial in the New York Times today, profiling Sudanese refugee Valentino Achak Deng and his efforts to build a high school in his hometown in South Sudan.

Kristof describes Deng as an inspiring figure, rising from a childhood occupied with fleeing the perils of the Sudanese civil war, to become a leader for change in his community.

Kristof says, rightly so:

“Valentino had earned the right to take it easy for the next 600 years; instead, he sets an astonishing example of resilience, compassion and charity.”

Deng’s high school in the town of Marial Bai has enrolled 100 students so far, but his sights are set higher, hoping to increase the number of students to 450 and to have over half of those enrollees be girls.

Though the high school is operational, much remains to be done. You can support Deng’s work through a donation, or, if you’re a teacher, volunteer to train teachers and work with students at the high school.

To learn more, go to the website for the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, here.

Photo: Valentino Achak Deng. (The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation)

• Sudan and South Sudan