October 2011 - St Joseph's Up and Running

Two of our Trustees have just returned from South Sudan where they visited St Joseph's in Rokon.  The school has been running since February 2011 and so far 90 pupils have been registered.  Availability of and funding for trained teachers is scarce. The Trust has decided, therefore, to fund the training of 2 teachers.  The students will be recruited from the Rokon area and will then work at St Joseph's when their training is complete in 2014.


Some of the 90 pupils from St Josephs in Rokon

An Evening with Gervase Phinn - 7pm, 3rd November 2010, Leech Hall, St John's College Durham

Gervase Phinn, lectrurer, brodacsater and writer will be headlining a fundraising evening in support of the Trust's work on November 3rd.
Tickets cost £15 and include fine French wines, cheeses and nibbles.

Tickets available from:
David Tomlinson, St Francis Vicarage, Burnhope, Newton Aycliffe, DL5 7ER.
Tel 01325 310804 e-mail: smileydavid63@gmail.com

This is a Black Tie Event.

June 2010 - Rokon School Completed

We are delighted to announce that all the works have been completed and the school has been equipped with furniture.  Pupil registrations are under way and the school is due to open soon.  We hope to have more news soon on this. Thank you to everyone who has donated so generously to make this possible.

January 2010 - Improvements underway at Rokon School

The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) changed the regulations for registering new schools. For this to happen the school now has to have store and staff rooms, latrines, kitchens… None of this is unreasonable – we would not even consider a school without them! - but it brought a halt to the hopes for an early opening for our school in Rokon. So, the Trust has just finalised plans and sent out a substantial payment to cover the cost of beginning these extra buildings. At current figures, the Trust is some £7,000 short of the total needed for these buildings. Therefore, we have a clear target for fund-raising in the next few months. We are hopeful of an opening of the school this coming April.

September 2008 - Archbishop of York highlights work of the Trust

John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, has highlighted the work of the Trust in an article for the Daily Telegraph web site.  The article summarises a speech he gave at the United Nations discussions on the Millennium Development Goals.  The article can be viewed here.

July 2008- Bishop Francis visits Durham

Francis Loyo Bishop of Rokon, the inspiration behind EJT, will be visiting Durham from 13th to 15th July 2008.  There will be an evening with Francis and his wife Linda at 7.30 pm on Sunday 13th July at St Margaret's Church and Antioch House (opposite St Margaret's Church) Crossgate. This will include hearing from them about life in Sudan and progress with the school. All are welcome.  Please contact Alan Bartlett for more information

April 2008- Contractor appointed for Rokon School
A contract to build a two classroom school in Rokon has been let, financed solely by EJT.  Work began in May and is expected to be completed by September when we hope the school will start to be used.  A big thank you to all who have donated money to help make this possible.


Chair of Trustees Alan Bartlett signs the contract for the Rokon school

January 2008- Concert for EJT

On Thursday 10th January 2008 there is a fund raising concert to help raise money for the new school in Rokon.

Come along to enjoy an evening of music and light entertainment.  The concert begins at 8pm in St Johns College, Durham. Tickets £6 available from St Johns Reception or call 07882 183 063.