Programs
Education
The VAD Foundation is significantly influencing the standard of education in South Sudan, setting high standards for education and advocating for the inclusion of girls in academic spaces in the region and nationally. Beyond traditional classroom education, we teach our students diversity, project-based learning, after-school activities, alumni networking, mentoring, and sustainability.
Farming
Four million people are affected by food insecurity in South Sudan. The acute malnutrition rate for children under five is nearly double the global average. The VAD Foundation seeks to enhance the well being of our communities by teaching students and community members sustainable farming skills through our horticulture, aquaculture, and animal husbandry programs.
Vocational Skills
The VAD Foundation vocational training program allows girls, women, and youth who dropped out of school, or who have already completed primary and secondary education, to develop their livelihood and vocational skills. We seek to empower the entrepreneurial spirit, promote small enterprise, introduce business management skills, and create employment opportunities for our community.
Education
VAD Foundation Scholars Program
The VAD Foundation is committed to expanding access to quality education for young people in South Sudan, with a special focus on empowering girls. Through our partnership with Cornerstones Vision Academy in Aweil, South Sudan, we sponsor students—primarily girls—to receive a safe, high-quality education that prepares them for future success.
In 2024, we proudly sponsored 372 girls, including 183 in elementary school and 189 in high school. Our scholars benefit from rigorous academics as well as extracurricular opportunities that enrich their learning experience. These include sports programs like soccer and volleyball, which challenge gender stereotypes, and arts initiatives like the regional high school drama festival, where students use storytelling to advocate for gender equality and civic engagement.
As part of our commitment to preparing students for life beyond school, we also ensure that all scholars receive computer training before graduating high school, equipping them with vital digital skills for higher education and the job market. In a region where many students start school but often fail to complete their education due to factors like financial hardship or early marriage, 119 of our scholars are graduating elementary or high school this year, demonstrating the tangible impact of our efforts.
Our Scholars Program is more than just tuition support—it’s an investment in South Sudan’s next generation of leaders, professionals, and changemakers.
“I come to school so I can be an educated person in the future. When I finish school, I want to be a doctor and help my nation, those in my community, and others from outside. ”
The Bobby Newmyer Dining Hall and Auditorium
In late 2024, the VAD Foundation broke ground on the Bobby Newmyer Dining Hall and Auditorium, marking a major step forward in strengthening the infrastructure at Cornerstone Vision Academy.
The project honors the late Bobby Newmyer, a dear friend of Valentino’s, supporter of the VAD Foundation, and a dedicated advocate for South Sudanese refugees, as well as a renowned American film producer.
Once completed, the dining hall will serve as a communal space where students can gather for meals in a safe and comfortable environment. The auditorium will provide a dedicated venue for school events, performances, and community gatherings, fostering a sense of belonging and cultural expression among students.
This project reflects the VAD Foundation’s broader mission of creating vibrant, well-resourced learning communities where students can thrive academically, socially, and creatively.
Farming
Horticulture
In 2013, The VAD Foundation successfully launched a horticulture program to teach farming skills to community members and our students. The program supplements the schools’ nutrition programs for staff and students throughout the academic year, while offering training on sustainable farming. Our schools harvest crops such as fruits, vegetables, and sorghum. By tending to the crops, our students learn the skills of agriculture, environmental stewardship, and sustainable commerce through hands-on experience.
Our horticulture vocational training program supports and trains female farmers from villages across the state. Each farmer is trained to cultivate and tend to 5 acres of food crops over 3 years, with the end goal of self-sustainment.
Aquaculture
Aquaculture is the farming of fish and aquatic plants. Based on community needs, The VAD Foundation introduced a training program for women, youth, and local farmers to teach fish farming and aquaponics techniques.
On-site at the schools and in the communities, we have created demonstration ponds that house fish for local farmers. Each year, we train and support local farmers in the building, cultivating, and supplying of fish farms to create sustainable means.
The Foundation has established the only fishponds and training programs in South Sudan in pursuit of community empowerment and sustainability. Fish farming helps to improve food security, economic status, and the nutritional health of a community.
Animal Husbandry
Animal husbandry is a form of agriculture that includes raising animals for meat, milk, eggs, and other essential products. South Sudan is one of the leading cattle keeping countries in Africa, and The VAD Foundation recognizes the importance of empowering local cattle farmers to promote food security and peace, and transform family livelihood.
The VAD Foundation supports sustainable animal husbandry by offering training to cattle keepers on modern ways of animal husbandry, identifying and working with partners to offer veterinary and related services to farmers, engaging in research to prevent disease and sickness, and encouraging and training local farmers on alternative animal husbandry activities, such as beekeeping and poultry.
Through these initiatives, we continue to help improve the livelihoods of communities through higher cattle production and the promotion of self-employment initiatives.
Vocational Skills
The VAD Foundation is working to empower girls, women, and youth of South Sudan through vocational skill development.
We strive to provide opportunities beyond traditional education to the students, women, and youth of our communities. While some of these training programs are offered at our schools, due to high demand, we are working to establish a vocational training center so we can expand our reach of training.
All of our program trainings are essential to the development and growth of the communities in which we serve. We teach a variety of classes, all of which provide the skills and knowledge for specific trades and occupations. Some of our programs include carpentry, metalwork, welding, masonry, and clothing design and tailoring.
Support Our Programs
Whether it’s education, sustainable farming, or vocational skills development, every penny raised supports grassroots community development in South Sudan.