Walk On is inspired by the story of Anuol Deng

Anuol was born in 1984, in the surroundings of Bor, a village in the present South Sudan. In which a civil war raged. When he was 7 years old his village was torched by one of the warring parties; many of the inhabitants have been killed. A few years later, in 1998, he was forced to leave his country. He ended up in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya. A few concerned aid workers brought him to Nairobi, where he joined primary school at the age of 14. He returned to South Sudan as a qualified lawyer in 2012. He got there by his talent, perseverance and with the help of friends.

One and a half year after his return, again war broke out in South Sudan. Many people fled the country. Anuol evacuated his family to Uganda. By now Anuol has enrolled around 50 children of the next generation into school, guided by his vision, his perseverance and with the help of friends.

Our vision

It's the vision of Walk On to give South Sudanese children the opportunity to develop their talents
so they can use it to contribute to the development of their community and country.

A note from Anuol:

In the rural areas of Southern Sudan, after surviving the most brutal massacre during Sudan’s civil war my mother gave me a pen that later significantly change my life. My uneducated mother somehow knew that education was the key to success in life. She believed that I should go to school. I took the pen from her with delight in my heart and enrolled in a local bush school. Like many other children I was inquisitive and eager to learn new things. When I was 13 years old working with aid workers near my village I received the chance to further my education that translated my mothers’ vision into reality. Moana from New Zealand together with friends from U.S.A, UK, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and Norway supported me through school in Nairobi Kenya.

Through their generous support I became a trained British barrister and lawyer. After qualifying in the UK, I felt obliged and compelled to return to South Sudan to help in the development of my country. My skills are much needed in Sudan than anywhere else in the world. When the conflict broke out in 2013 in South Sudan, I evacuated my family members to the refugee camp in Adjumani, Northern Uganda. Whilst in the camp the terrified eyes of displaced children reminded me of myself. The words of my mother when she gave me the pen more than 15 years ago flashed into my memory.

Then I realized that the pen my mother gave me is a symbol of the quest for knowledge and I decided that I should give these children a chance for education. Together with the support of my friends “Walk On” was established. The reason my mother gave me a pen was so that I could one day help others, myself and my country. I now believe that it is my turn to help these children so that they can in turn help themselves, their families and their country.  South Sudan can develop if illiteracy is reduced and I believe that unnecessary violence can stop as people are educated.