Our Programs

South Sudan will never starve again program

The South Sudan will never starve again program is an initiative program to Fight Against Hunger in East Africa in South Sudan, Uganda, and Sudan.

The East Africa region struggles with recurrent climate shocks including drought and floods, pests, diseases, and food insecurity. Children, pregnant, and nursing women experiencing acute malnutrition are particularly vulnerable. The agriculture and livestock sector are dominated by rain-fed agriculture and the changing climate disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized groups in East Africa who have a lower capacity to adapt. Population growth and migration are further straining food security in the region.

Food Security and Gender equality

Women are responsible for half of the world’s food production, and in most developing countries they produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food. Yet, women continue to be regarded as home producers or assistants on the farm, and not as farmers and economic agents on their own merit.

Women receive a small fraction of assistance for agricultural investments; women in Africa receive less than 10 percent of small farm credit and 1 percent of total credit to the agricultural sector. Empowering women farmers is vital to lifting rural communities out of poverty, especially as many developing nations face economic crisis, food insecurity, HIV/AIDS, environmental degradation and increasing urbanization. Increasing agricultural production improves food security and Empower women and youth incomes Women’s workloads decreased Improving farmers’ consultation and ownership over the project needs improvement.

Panliet Women Farmer’s School – Yirol West, South Sudan

Pictured above is our flagship program, Panliet Women Farmer’s School located in Yirol West County, South Sudan. The establishment was set up in 2010 to support vulnerable women, mainly victims of war, gender-based violence, homelessness, and other social factors. It was created to give them a safe place where their hope could be restored through education, vocational training, and by actively deriving a livelihood through farming. Panliet Farm supports hundreds of women, children, and some men. Each of these beneficiaries then provides for their family, their community, and the local economy. Impacting one person who impacts another who impacts another creates a web of change. The Diar Foundation focuses on increasing permanent self-sustainability, not temporary relief. Our founder Karak says, “Teach a woman how to fish, do not give a woman a fish.” This is our modus operandi, and Panliet Farm lies at the center of it.

Farm Schools

Over 5 million people in South Sudan are severely food insecure.  Our farm schools meet this need head on. Here’s how they work:

  • Women participate in farm training and adult education classes.
  • They are given a plot of land, tools, and seeds to cultivate life sustaining food for themselves and their families.
  • By selling any surplus at local markets, they generate income for their families.
  • Our participants also share resources with each other and form networks that provide meaningful and lasting supportive relationships.

The Result:  A woman who…

  • Has healthy food to eat for herself and her family
  • Earns and saves money
  • Has supportive relationships
  • Changes herself, her family, and her community – for good

Education

84% of women in south Sudan are illiterate. Education is our most powerful tool for overcoming poverty, empowering women, and building strong communities. The Diar foundation actively works for promoting education, particularly among weaker sections of the population. The education of girls, and other deprived people, particularly the war and violence and conflict survivors, has been our target objective.

Our adult education classes include:

  • Basic literacy and numeracy
  • Hygiene and nutrition
  • Asset management
  • Civic Engagement
  • livelihood improvement learning
  • business and savings financial literacy

Business building revolving fund

51% of people in South Sudan live on less than $1 per day.  We offer loans to small groups of women as seed money for their collective businesses.  As they repay their loans, the money becomes available for the next group, and the next….  Businesses we have funded include:

  • Brick making
  • Tailoring
  • Bread making
  • Porridge
  • Charcoal
  • Farming
  • Raising chickens and pigs
  • Bee keeping

Refugee Friendly Center Colorado, USA program

WHAT IS IT? The Diar Foundation’s Refugees Friendly Centre funded by private and State Foundations, along with fundraisers and private donations – serves both old and newly arrived refugees between the ages of 12 -65 years old. The Program will serve refugee youth from all nationalities. It receives referrals from the three local voluntary refugee resettlement agencies in Denver.

WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM DO? The Program provides activities emphasizing in Health(mental health and Covid-19), and cultural awareness while preparing newcomer youth and women (those in the U.S. for a year or less) for school enrollment. Program Activities:

The program will focus on providing direct services for the -eligible populations to promote their health, both routinely and during times of crisis (e.g., pandemics).

Activities may include: Health education classes and targeted health outreach to individuals, Medical and mental health navigation and support, and Adjustment groups, skill-building, networks, or peer support meetings. Life skills training Empowerment training, Hygiene, and satiation awareness. The activities create a sense of community and friendship among the local communities and encourage outdoor social interactions. Which over time will increase the youth and women’s learning capacities while immersing them in the English language and building close relationships.

WHO WILL RUN IT? It will be run by a manager, a school enrollment coordinator, interns, and numerous dedicated volunteers. All go through a cultural orientation and training to prepare for work with refugees. Volunteers attend training on the life-skills program and personalized training through the Youth Program Manual (depending on their role in the youth department). All volunteers, interns, and staff undergo a Colorado Background Check.

Child protection

South Sudan is continually prone to both natural and man-made disasters including floods, droughts, and ethnic conflict. Women and children are the most affected, suffering sexual abuse, forced marriages, and forced recruitment into the armed groups. We help displaced families and individuals by providing registration for missing and unaccompanied children, follow up and family tracking and reunification. We also link affected children with psychosocial care and community support and monitor and report all grave child rights violations.

Activities under child protection

1. Child help desk

2. PSs activities

3. Safe spaces or centers

Distribution of emergency livelihood kits

We distribute thousands of emergency kits to hose in the most desperate need.  These kits include field crop and vegetable seeds as well as fishing kits to help individuals and families meet their immediate needs and begin producing food for the future.

Vocational training

We work closely with local education and labor authorities to provide leadership, technical and vocational training to youth.  We also advocate for girls to participate in vocational training and education. Women, children, and men are all beneficiaries of our vocational training programs.

Fortifying equality and economic diversification project

Sustainable agriculture practices and technologies are encouraged by training women and men on seed preservation, sustainable farming practices, poultry farming and post harvest handling techniques. We work to establish and strengthen farmer field schools that serve both women and men and help mobilize the community in collective marketing.

Gender based violence prevention

The goal of this program is to help survivors heal, mobilize communities and institutions to prevent violence, and promote women and girls’ inclusion. our program activities include community outreach and case identification and referral of GBV survivors.

Peace-building, Education and Advocacy

The Diar Foundation is introducing a peace-building, education, and advocacy program for youth and adults. The Youth Education Peace Project in South Sudan will be the pilot. Our program plans to establish community youth peace groups that will offer projects which are specific to investing in women and girls as peace-builders and change-makers