Thirty-eight students, including six girls and 32 boys from eight counties in Lakes State, have been awarded scholarships through the Adut Salva Kiir (ASK) Foundation’s national program.
The initiative, launched this year by Adut Salva Kiir, the daughter of President Salva Kiir and Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programs since August 2025, is designed to provide scholarships to students from every state and administrative area.
The program targets high school students who are orphans, disadvantaged, or children of veterans. This year’s intake marks the first phase of the national high school scholarship program.
The initial batch of 38 students from Lakes State will join peers from other states at Cornerstone Vision Academy in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
Nyanwulu Moses, an 18-year-old scholarship recipient from Wulu County, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that she was grateful for the opportunity. “I would like to thank Adut Kiir Mayardit for giving us this chance to study in Aweil,” she said. “We will study, succeed, and return to our parents.”
Jibril Chol Maker, chairperson of the Lakes State selection committee, said students were chosen according to criteria set by the Office of the Presidential Envoy on Special Programs. The committee visited all eight counties to identify eligible students who completed primary school in 2023, 2024, or 2025 and met one of the three categories: orphans, disadvantaged children, or children of veterans.
Maker provided a breakdown of beneficiaries by county: Yirol West (5 males), Yirol East (all males), Awerial (3 males, 2 females), Rumbek East (5 males), Wulu (3 females, 2 males), Rumbek North (4 males), Cueibet (5 males), and Rumbek Center (4 males, 1 female).
He said the first phase includes 38 students, while the second phase will select an additional 62 students, with a focus on increasing female representation. “Our main target is children who are disadvantaged or children of veterans who have recently completed primary school,” he said.
Nelson Makoi Makur, Lakes State minister of general education, praised the ASK Foundation for supporting vulnerable students. “These learners are children from vulnerable families. Some are orphans; others have special needs. They deserve this support,” he said.
Gen. Madhang Majok Meen, governor of Lakes State, thanked the presidential envoy for extending the scholarships. “These children are the future of Lakes State,” he said. “We are confident they will excel in their studies and return knowledge that will benefit their communities.”
The selected students are scheduled to travel to Aweil on April 15, 2025.
Last month, the government of Western Equatoria State announced it had selected 38 students in the first phase of the Adut Salva Kiir Scholarship Program.