Summer 2007
Valentino returns to Marial Bai, his home village, to consult community and government leaders and lay the groundwork for the project.
About the foundation
Rooted in a story. Driven by possibility.
The Valentino Achak Deng (VAD) Foundation's mission is to empower children, youth, and women from poor communities in South Sudan through educational opportunities and other sustainable development initiatives.
Our mission
Opportunity that reaches beyond the classroom
The Valentino Achak Deng (VAD) Foundation's mission is to empower children, youth, and women from poor communities in South Sudan through educational opportunities and other sustainable development initiatives.
We put this mission into practice through traditional schooling, farming programs, and vocational skills training, building pathways to learning and sustainable livelihoods.
Explore our programsSouth Sudan and our roots
History shaped by resilience and possibility
The region that is now South Sudan experienced two decades of civil war between 1983 and 2005. The conflict caused an estimated 2.5 million deaths and displaced nearly six million people, while destroying buildings, infrastructure, and livelihoods. After the 2005 peace agreement, communities faced the immense work of rebuilding education, agriculture, public services, and local economies.
South Sudan became an independent country on July 9, 2011. The new nation inherited a deeply weakened education system. Access to schooling remains challenging, particularly for girls, whose opportunities can be constrained by poverty and early marriage.
A new civil conflict began in December 2013. Violence spread across the country, disrupted services and livelihoods, and forced millions from their homes. The 2018 revitalized peace agreement and subsequent political steps offered hope, though communities continue to face the lasting effects of conflict, displacement, food insecurity, disease, and limited infrastructure.
Despite these challenges, South Sudanese families and communities remain committed to education and to building a brighter future. The VAD Foundation works with local communities to support that commitment through educational opportunities and sustainable development initiatives.
Historical background is adapted from the VAD Foundation’s South Sudan overview. Figures and descriptions from that page refer to past periods and are not presented here as current statistics.
The VAD Foundation Timeline
A history of community-led education and development
Early 2008
Valentino returns to Marial Bai to begin construction of a secondary school and educational center on government-donated land, employing local architects and construction workers.
May 2009
Marial Bai Secondary School opens as one of the region’s first fully functioning high schools, giving young people, especially girls, an opportunity to study beyond elementary school. Thousands of students across South Sudan apply to enroll.
November 2011
The school receives state-of-the-art science equipment from a university that had closed. A library, community center, sports facilities, student dormitories, a school farm, and teacher-training facilities are added to campus.
February 2012
Facilities expand to accommodate 115 additional girls, and the school’s first class of seniors graduates.
March 2012
Organic farming and vocational training programs launch, teaching students and community members agriculture, environmental stewardship, and sustainable commerce through hands-on experience.
October 2016
The VAD Foundation and What Is The What mark their tenth anniversaries as Valentino continues expanding the impact of the work with communities in South Sudan affected by war.
June 2018
The Foundation opens Alok Girls’ Academy to expand its commitment to girls’ education, welcoming 144 girls in its inaugural year.
February 2019
Alok Girls’ Academy, designed to provide quality upper-primary education as a bridge to secondary school for young women, reaches 500 students in grades 4–10.
June 2020
In response to COVID-19, the Foundation establishes a Coronavirus Awareness Task Force led by Valentino Achak Deng. The team conducts community education and demonstrations on distancing, masks, handwashing, and safe hygiene practices.
May 2021
After conflict- and pandemic-related damage and looting at the Marial Bai and Alok Girls’ Academy campuses, the Foundation pivots to a Scholars Program with Cornerstones Vision Academy in Aweil.
May 2024
The Foundation secures funding to begin construction of the Bobby Newmyer Dining Hall and Auditorium, an educational and community space on the Cornerstones Vision Academy campus intended to serve students and community members.
October 2026
Marial Bai Secondary School reopens, renewing the Foundation’s work at its own school in the community.
Foundation milestones are adapted from the VAD Foundation’s existing Foundation Timeline.
“The school… it's a reminder that sometimes the world's most desperate and desolate places are the ones brimming with magnanimity and hope.”
— Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times