Who's Involved

Ibba Girls' School has the active support of the local community, including the village elders, tribal chiefs, the churches (Catholic and Episcopal) and the government (at county, state and national levels). Two formal bodies, constituted under South Sudan law - the Ibba Girls' Boarding School Trustees and the Board of Governors – are responsible for the running of the school.

Friends of Ibba Girls' School (FIGS) has been established in the UK and registered as a charitable trust and company limited by guarantee, to guard the vision, the land and the funding for the school. While starting up, FIGS depended on a large network of committed professionals who generously gave their time and expertise pro bono. In 2017, FIGS hired its first full-time staff member, Mark Simmons, as Chief Executive, supported by two part-time fundraising and communications experts.

Governance

Friends of Ibba Girls' School (FIGS) is a registered charity in the UK and exists to raise funds, guard the vision and provide support for Ibba Girls' Boarding School, so it can grow and flourish.

Ibba Girls' Boarding School (IGBS) is registered as a community school to maintain its distinctiveness from church, state and private schools. It teaches the new South Sudan curriculum alongside co-curricular subjects such as drama, personal social and health education, debating and sport.

The founding Constitution of the school was approved and signed at a public meeting in Ibba in June 2014, attended by over 500 people from the local community, county, state and national governments, the Episcopal and Roman Catholic churches, and non-governmental institutions (NGOs).

FIGS Ambassadors

Golda Abbe

Pamela Lomoro

Andy Serkis (Photo credit: Laurie Sparham)

Martina Yanga

FIGS Ambassadors help to promote Ibba Girls’ School and its important and transformational contribution to the lives of girls in a country which needs it more than any other.

FIGS Vice-Presidents

Emeritus Professor John Benington

Lord Michael Bichard

Baroness Estelle Morris

Rev'd Michael Paget-Wilkes

Rev'd Margaret Sentamu

FIGS Trustees

David Lewis (Chair)

Gary Bandy (Treasurer)

Margaret Eddershaw

Justin Gordon-Muortat

Professor Jean Hartley

Julie Lodrick

Dame Rosalind Marsden

Hugh Paget

Julia Sanders

The UK charity Friends of Ibba Girls School is governed by a distinguished body of UK Trustees which ensures that the funds raised are well-managed and allocated to these main purposes:

to build and develop Ibba Girls Boarding School (IGBS) in South Sudan
to protect and promote the founding vision and values for the school
to ensure that the school is well-led and managed
to cultivate good quality teaching and learning, in line with the school's declared ethos.

The UK Trustees of Friends of Ibba Girls School work in close partnership with the South Sudan Trustees and Board of Governors for the school.

IGBS Trustees

Hon. Sappana Abuyi (Former Deputy Governor, Western Equatoria State)

Bridget Nagomoro (Founding Chair of IGBS and former Commissioner of Ibba County)

Hon. Pia Philip Michael (Former Minister of Education, Western Equatoria State)

Fr Stephen Kumyangi (Roman Catholic Diocese of Tombura)

Bishop Wilson Kamani (Bishop of Ibba)

David Lewis (Chair of FIGS Trustees)

The Trustees of IGBS have been formed under South Sudan law, with the following 3 main responsibilities:

To protect and promote the founding vision and values of IGBS
To own and protect the land and buildings for the school
To ensure that a well functioning Board of Governors and Head Teacher is in place for the school

The ownership of the land and buildings for Ibba Girls Boarding School is vested in the South Sudan Trustees, in perpetuity, but in the unlikely event of closure of the school, the assets will be transferred to the South Sudanese government.

The Board of Governors

Bridget Nagomoro (Founding Chair of IGBS and former Commissioner of Ibba County)

Tito Gerusama (Former Commissioner for Ibba County)

Bishop Wilson Kamani (Bishop of Ibba)

Fr Joaquim Oboi (Roman Catholic priest, diocese of Tombura-Yambio)

Angelo Wairu Paulino (Inspector for Schools, Ibba County)

Marona Saku (Paramount Chief For Ibba County - Governor)

Anthony Makana Arkangelo (PTA Chairperson IGBS)

Charles Taban Nzakara (Director General Maridi State Ministry of Education, Gender, Child & Social Welfare)

The Board of Governors for IGBS has been formed under South Sudan law. The Board reports to the Trustees on an annual basis and works in partnership with the head-teacher, staff, parents and other stakeholders in governing the school with the following aims:

To develop a strategic framework, aims and objectives for the school. The role of the head-teacher and the management team is to implement this agreed strategy.
To develop policies, priorities, outcomes and targets for the achievement of the above strategy, aims and objectives
To develop and approve the budget
To monitor and evaluate whether and how far the above strategy, aims and objectives are being achieved in practice
To review the lessons from experience and what needs to be done to improve school performance

Read about the composition of the Board of Governors here