Bullets to Books

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After spending much of his life as a refugee in Uganda, Jok Abraham Thon returned to his home country of South Sudan to build a school out of bamboo and mud with his own hands. He named it Promised Land. Driven by his deep belief in the necessity of education in order to reform a society stuck in a cycle of violence and poverty, he has made it his mission to provide the children of South Sudan with accessible and impactful education. Even after the long process of constructing and opening the school, numerous challenges laid ahead for Jok. A group of students were kidnapped not long after the school opened, causing distress and grief within the community. Precautions were put into place, and the school continued to gather students from across different local communities. Promised Lands students began to receive some of the highest leading scores on standardized tests in South Sudan. The school became a protected space that focused not only on providing general forms of education but also on empowering youth as peacebuilders. Promised Land brings together youth from different communities and backgrounds who might otherwise be manipulated into armed conflict with one another.

In 2018 Jok partnered with Gail Prensky and The Jüdische Kulturbund Project to create Bullets to Books, a global transformer that relies on education and cultural exchange as a means to foster peace and unity. Jok and the Bullets to Books team continue to showcase Promised Land to leaders and change-makers, including to the United States Congress, as a model for educating youth in under-served and conflict ridden communities around the world. The initiative led to a partnership with architect Moses Mawa and MASS Design Group to replace the original temporary structure of Promised Land with a permanent one. Permanent buildings are currently under construction at the Ubuntu Campus at Promised Land. Alongside support of the school itself, Bullets to Books also amplifies the power of storytelling in their work to transform conflict-afflicted areas. Through the support of the US Embassy in Juba, the Arts Envoy Program, and the Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange component, Bullets to Books has been able to lead such workshops both within and outside South Sudan. Most recently, they released their documentary "Bullets to Books", which has already received multiple awards.

Focus Areas:

◉ Education and Community Development

◉ Alleviating Extreme Poverty

◉ Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

◉ Conflict Resolution

Impact

◉ 700 Students graduated from Promised Land Secondary School

◉ 420 joining Universities within and outside of South Sudan

◉ 900 Current Students, nearly half of which are girls

◉ Consistently receives some of the highest academic scores in the country

◉ Multiple projects and workshops focused on the use of storytelling to

help communities overcome trauma and build peace

Connect

◉ Join the "Friends of Bullets to Books" Facebook Group

◉ Check out the Bullets to Books initiative at

https://www.judischekulturbund.com/

◉ Watch the award-winning "Bullets to Books" documentary