about africa sunrise
The Vision of Africa Sunrise Communities is to make a positive difference in the life of the world’s newest nation. We will build and operate a center of holistic Christian ministry in Bor Town, Jonglei State, South Sudan.
“The Rising Hope Christian Center” will ultimately include a school for primary and secondary students, an athletic field, a medical clinic, a church, a residence, and a guest house and training center.
As a young boy, our founder, Jacob Thon Guot, ran for his life from the civil conflict in his country and became one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan. With thousands of other children, he walked across east Africa and grew up in the Kakuma Refugee Camp (Kenya). The US government chose 4,000 “Lost Boys,” including Jacob, to emigrate to the USA where he earned college and seminary degrees. Jacob now directs the creation of the Rising Hope Christian Center in Bor Town.
With Nehemiah as his biblical hero and role model, Jacob is securing resources to return to his war-devastated nation, to rebuild his home town, to change the lives of students and families, and to raise up South Sudanese leaders who will restore his community with the good news of God in Jesus Christ.
By God’s direction, Jacob and ASC are building a community of supporters who share his vision of making positive change in Bor Town, Jonglei State and who sense how the whole nation of South Sudan and the region of east Africa can be impacted by a new generation of Christian citizens and future leaders.
Mission Statement
To educate, empower + restore the community through holistic transformation.
Vision Statement
To raise up a generation of empowered people to serve South Sudan and the world.
Objectives
o Educate the next generation with the tools they will need to improve their world. Using land purchased from the state, ASC will establish a primary and secondary school complex in Bor, South Sudan to bring education to this neglected population.
o Train leaders with a focus on unity between “Reconcile tribal people for national unity?”.
o Comprehend: The cultural context of South Sudan has changed significantly in the past decades. ASC will work alongside the existing holistic training center to gain familiarity with the changes in culture and attitudes.
o Cooperate: Africa Sunrise Communities will build relationships with the UNHCR, Red Cross, and other NGOs and non-profits who are already working in South Sudan with the holistic training center. The experience of these groups can guide us in developing effective schools.
o Connect: ASC will establish connections with key government, religious, and community leaders. This includes registering Africa Sunrise Communities with the government as a local business. Many doors can be opened when these influential people are supportive of the cause.
o Coordinate: ASC will help connect people to existing social services and create avenues for needed services. It is important to know what social services already exist so that ASC’s efforts are not duplicating services but enhancing them.
o Cultivate: Rev. Jacob Guot will establish himself as a leader across ethnic lines and on both sides of the conflicts. Our cause is to unite the people of Bor, Jonglei State to reconnected with their neighbors and cultivate peace.
Values
o Meeting the holistic needs of the community will guide it towards Christian values transformation to raise up pastors.
o An educated population Bor, Jonglei State is an empowered one.
o Even one individual can make a difference for good.
o Leadership of a community should come from within.
o We work within and respect the cultural traditions of East Africa.
o The work we are called to do.
o Rebuilding a nation is made of individuals. If we want to change the nation, we must change individuals.
o Our focus is on relationships. Every person is important. Every person has dignity and worth.
o Educating for service we must learn the truths and ways of God through education. We must learn to read so that we can read the Bible. We must read the Bible so that we can learn God’s story and God’s will. We must learn God’s story and God’s will so that we can believe in Jesus and follow him with our lives. This education leads to a life of service to God and to begin mention Christian values.
o “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
o Training for transformation following Jesus involves learning disciplines that lead to a transformed life. Those disciplines include prayer and meditation on God’s Word, worship in the community of believers, giving of money and time to serve God’s kingdom.
o As we learn to live a life of devotion and walk in the way of Jesus, our lives will be transformed day-by-day to be more like his.
Photo Gallery from Jacob’s trips to South Sudan
For decades, civil war has ravaged the lands of east Africa. Since the beginning of conflict in 1983, over 2 million people have died in Sudan and Ethiopia. Twice that number have been displaced. Africa Sunrise Communities seeks to empower refugees in East Africa through education to give them hope and a future.
about the founder + executive director
Jacob Thon Guot
Jacob was one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, a refugee of the war between the northern and southern parts of his country. At the age of seven, he was forced to run away from an attack on his home village. He became a refugee, ultimately trekking 1,000 miles between Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya while dodging rebel soldiers, unfriendly tribesmen, wild animals, and fording dangerous rivers teeming with crocodiles. He spent 4 years in an Ethiopian refugee camp and another 9 years in a camp in Kenya, before being brought to the United States at the age of 21.
From his first days in Houston, Texas, Jacob was recognized as a leader. He raised funds with Aim Sudan Foundation for refugees living in the city, co-founded the Sudanese Community Church, helped with resettlement of South Sudanese refugees in Houston, led Bible studies in the maximum-security prison and even organized support from his fellow “lost boys” to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. He has never stopped working, learning, and moving forward in his efforts to help those living as refugees.