By Tapeng Michael Ohure
China is celebrating the new year of Tiger with a special treat in South Sudan-the donation of scholastic materials to primary schools in Jonglei State.
Through its charity organization, China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, the Chinese government handed over panda packs, oxygen concentrators, school bags, children toys, and facemasks to the leadership of Jonglei today.
“As the Chinese New Year of Tiger is approaching, the Panda Pack provided by China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation to primary school students in Jonglei State of South Sudan, came to Juba with full of care and blessings,” Ambassador Hua Ning said in Juba while handing over the items.
“It will become the best New Year’s Gifts for the kids,” he said.
While receiving the items, Jonglei State Minister of Health, Atong Kuol Manyang Juuk, said they will go a long way in helping school children affected by floods.
“If you look at our state, it has been devastated by a lot of things including floods and conflict that we have in the state,” she said.
“On behalf of Jonglei State, I would like to appreciate the generous donations that is given to us by the People’s Republic of China to the people of Jongei State.”
The Secretary General of Jonglei State, Gatwech Koak Nyuon too hailed the assistance of the Chinese in a speech.
“We are the same people in different countries because of culture. We have culture of hospitality, we have culture of telling the truth, and we have culture of helping each other, and that is why we have these scholastic materials today, and these are the gifts from the government of China donated to Jonglei State,” he said.
Nyuon said the beneficiaries of the scholastic materials would be primary school children.
Each of the 1800 Panda Packs consists of 105 pieces in five categories: a school bag, some basic stationery, art supplies, educational toys, and some daily necessities.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Sudan 10 years ago, China has assisted South Sudan to build a number of primary and secondary schools, trained thousands of professionals in different fields for South Sudan, and provided scholarships to South Sudanese students to study in China.
