Sudan Sunrise
Sudan Sunrise is a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on reconciliation, education, humanitarian support, and community development connected to Sudan and South Sudan.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Sudan Sunrise is an American nonprofit organization established in December 2005 and based in Fairfax, Virginia. It operates as a grassroots peacebuilding and humanitarian initiative centered on Sudan, South Sudan, Sudanese refugees, and the Sudanese diaspora in the United States. The organization’s stated purpose is to encourage reconciliation, education, and community building while highlighting forgiveness and cooperation between communities that were previously divided by war, ethnicity, religion, and political conflict. The organization grew out of an emergency aid effort begun in 2004. South Sudanese Christians living in the United States organized assistance for Darfurian Muslim refugees in Chad during the developing Darfur crisis. The initiative was significant because Darfurian forces had been involved in the long civil war against southern Sudanese communities. Despite this history, refugees asked South Sudanese representatives to stand with them and help pursue peace. Sudan Sunrise documented and circulated a video appeal in which Darfurians sought forgiveness and called for solidarity. This reconciliation-centered approach became a defining feature of the organization’s identity. During its early years, Sudan Sunrise combined advocacy in the United States with practical projects in the region. In 2006 it organized events supporting Darfur and began overseeing construction of a community center in South Sudan intended to serve multiple local tribes. In later years it supported diaspora meetings, women’s empowerment events, refugee education research, intercommunal dialogue, and initiatives calling on Sudanese people of different tribes and religions to work together for a democratic and just society. Education became one of the organization’s most visible areas of work. Sudan Sunrise helped develop the Manute Bol Primary School in Turalei, South Sudan, named for the Sudanese-born basketball player and humanitarian Manute Bol. Construction began in 2009, additional classrooms and sanitation facilities were added in 2010, and the school was reported as complete in 2011. The organization also sponsored American teachers to provide English and basic mathematics instruction. Other education-related work included support for the Francis Bok School in Gor Ayen and efforts to assess the needs of refugee children in Chad. Its humanitarian and community-development activities have included drilling and repairing wells, supporting clean-water access, helping returnees obtain fishing equipment, assisting with the construction of homes and agricultural facilities, and providing support to internally displaced people. In 2014, the organization worked with the Obakki Foundation to repair five wells in Lakes State, where displaced people faced risks associated with using contaminated river water. Sudan Sunrise has also supported reconciliation initiatives in refugee camps, including work associated with Bishop Abraham Nhial in Kakuma. The organization has used sport, film, public events, and diaspora networks as tools for peacebuilding. It partnered with Manute Bol on a 2008 peace rally in Iowa and later helped coordinate the Manute Bol Tournament for Peace in Juba, where boys and girls from different South Sudanese tribes participated together. It also supported the production and dissemination of reconciliation messages, including a film involving Francis Bok’s return to his home area. In the United States, the organization has participated in genocide-awareness events, Sudanese solidarity meetings, Nuba community gatherings, and fundraising programs. Sudan Sunrise has also engaged in civic and political initiatives without being identified as a political party. In 2011 it partnered with the government of South Sudan on voter education, registration, poll observation, and transportation for Southern Sudanese living in the United States who wished to participate in the referendum on independence. It also supported dialogue among Darfurian political leaders and helped convene youth representatives from Jonglei State through a partnership with Humanity United. Publicly available reference material identifies Tom Prichard as the founder and executive director and describes a board-led governance structure. The organization’s work has involved partnerships with faith communities, humanitarian organizations, diaspora groups, athletes, educators, and peacebuilding institutions. The available source material documents activities through 2016 but does not establish the organization’s current operating status, leadership roster, finances, or present-day program scale.
History
Sudan Sunrise was formally founded in December 2005 by Tom Prichard, but its roots lay in a 2004 emergency response by South Sudanese Christians living in the United States. As violence in Darfur intensified, members of the South Sudanese diaspora organized a shipment of medicine for Darfurian Muslim refugees in camps in Chad. The effort crossed a major historical divide: Darfurian forces had been used by the Sudanese government against southern Sudanese communities during Sudan’s long civil war. Refugees responded by asking South Sudanese people to stand with them and help pursue peace. Sudan Sunrise recorded and distributed a video appeal in which Darfurians sought forgiveness and called for solidarity. This interaction established reconciliation, rather than aid alone, as the organization’s central operating principle. In 2006, Sudan Sunrise expanded its U.S. advocacy and community work. It sponsored the Standing Together Against Genocide banquet in Washington, D.C., along with related events in Denver, Des Moines, and Kansas City. At the same time, it began overseeing construction of a community center in South Sudan intended to serve local tribes. The following year, the organization sponsored a delegation of Sudanese Lost Boys to travel to South Sudan and meet Darfurian refugees. It also returned to Chad to study refugee education needs and worked toward formal registration with the governments of Chad and Sudan. In the United States, it supported a rally focused on Sudanese women and helped convene Sudanese community leaders. These discussions produced the Call to Sudanese Solidarity, urging Sudanese people from different tribes and religions to cooperate in pursuit of peace, democracy, and justice. The organization’s public profile broadened in 2008. In partnership with Manute Bol, it held a Sudan peace rally at the Iowa State House before the state’s presidential caucuses. Participants included Simon Deng, a former slave and activist, and Nathan Kleinman, a human-rights advocate. Later that year, Sudan Sunrise accompanied a group of Darfurians and Francis Bok, author of Escape from Slavery, on Bok’s first return to his home village after his abduction and the killing of members of his family. The trip resulted in the reconciliation film Call to Sudanese Reconciliation. The film premiered at a women’s empowerment conference in Juba, South Sudan, and a reconciliation message was subsequently broadcast on a major Southern Sudanese radio station. Education and infrastructure became increasingly important from 2009 onward. Sudan Sunrise began construction of the Manute Bol Primary School in Turalei and sent three teachers from the United States to teach English and elementary mathematics. It partnered with PACT Sudan to drill wells and provide clean water for the Francis Bok School in Gor Ayen. Project Director Daniel Kuot also supported people returning to South Sudan by distributing fishing nets and assisting with approximately fifty homes and agricultural facilities in Palio. In 2010, the second phase of the Manute Bol school added classrooms, sanitation facilities, and rainwater-harvesting capacity. The school was reported complete in 2011. In 2011, Sudan Sunrise supported civic participation around the referendum that preceded South Sudan’s independence. In cooperation with the South Sudanese government, it worked on voter education, registration, election observation, and transportation for Southern Sudanese residents of the United States. It also received a strategic grant from the Open Society Institute for a delegation involving former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello and Sudan Sunrise board members, who participated in discussions intended to unify Darfurian political leaders. Other activities included a fundraising event with NBA Cares and basketball players Dikembe Mutombo and Gheorghe Muresan. The organization also worked with the Youth Forum for Social Peace and the Girifna Movement to deliver food and a reconciliation message from northern Sudanese communities to residents of Turalei. In 2012, Sudan Sunrise partnered with Humanity United to convene the Jonglei Youth Peace Initiative in Washington, D.C. Representatives from eleven countries and five tribes in Jonglei State discussed a framework for peace in their communities. In 2013, Sudan Sunrise helped coordinate the Manute Bol Tournament for Peace in Juba, where young people from South Sudan’s various tribes participated in basketball as a public demonstration of cooperation. It also supported Annual Nuba Day in Iowa through the Nuba Youth Committee; the gathering brought together more than six hundred Nuba participants to discuss reconciliation and relief for people affected by bombardment in the Nuba Mountains. The organization continued humanitarian work in 2014 and 2015. With the Obakki Foundation, it funded repairs to five wells in Lakes State, where internally displaced people were at risk of cholera from river water. In 2015 it worked with Bishop Abraham Nhial to seek support for a reconciliation initiative in the Kakuma refugee camp. It also received a special grant connected to Washington, D.C.’s first Walk to End Genocide, supporting a well and the Manute Bol school. In partnership with St. John’s Episcopal Church in Parchment, New York, it hosted a benefit screening of The Good Lie with actor Ger Duany; the event raised funds for the school. Activities described for 2016 included reconciliation work in Torit, South Sudan, where Muslim and Christian volunteers sought to help rebuild a Catholic cathedral that had been destroyed twice. Across its documented history, Sudan Sunrise combined grassroots reconciliation with schools, water access, refugee assistance, diaspora organizing, public education, and civic participation. The available reference material does not provide reliable information about its current leadership, present program activity, financial condition, or whether it remains active.
- 2016
Torit reconciliation initiative
[1]Muslim and Christian volunteers worked on rebuilding a twice-destroyed Catholic cathedral in Torit.
- 2014
Lakes State well repairs
[1]Five wells were repaired in an area serving internally displaced people in Lakes State.
- 2013
Manute Bol Tournament for Peace
[1]A Juba basketball tournament brought together young people from South Sudan’s different tribal communities.
- 2012
Jonglei youth peace meeting
[1]In partnership with Humanity United, the organization facilitated a Washington meeting of Jonglei youth representatives.
- 2011
Referendum participation and school completion
[1]Sudan Sunrise supported diaspora participation in South Sudan’s referendum and completed the Manute Bol Primary School project.
- 2009
Manute Bol Primary School construction begins
[1]Construction started in Turalei, alongside teacher deployments and water support for the Francis Bok School.
- 2008
Iowa peace rally and reconciliation film
[1]The organization partnered with Manute Bol on a peace rally and supported a reconciliation film connected to Francis Bok’s return to his home area.
- 2006
Reconciliation and community-center work begins
[1]Sudan Sunrise sponsored Darfur-awareness events in the United States and began overseeing a community center project in South Sudan.
- 2005
Organization formally founded
[1]Tom Prichard formally established Sudan Sunrise as a U.S. nonprofit in December.
- 2004
Emergency aid initiative for Darfurian refugees
[1]South Sudanese Christians in the United States organized medicine assistance for Darfurian Muslim refugees in Chad, creating the initiative from which Sudan Sunrise developed.
Products and positioning
A grassroots nonprofit that links humanitarian assistance with reconciliation, using education, community infrastructure, diaspora engagement, faith-based cooperation, and sport to build relationships across former conflict lines.
Education infrastructure · 2009
Manute Bol Primary School
A primary-school project in Turalei, South Sudan, developed with Sudan Sunrise support. The project included classroom construction, sanitation facilities, rainwater harvesting, teacher participation from the United States, and fundraising partnerships connected to Manute Bol’s humanitarian work.
Peacebuilding · 2004
Reconciliation and peacebuilding programs
Grassroots initiatives designed to build cooperation among communities divided by Sudanese and South Sudanese conflicts. Activities included interfaith work, diaspora meetings, refugee dialogue, reconciliation media, youth forums, and support for local peace initiatives.
Humanitarian development · 2009
Water and community infrastructure projects
Projects providing or restoring access to clean water and basic community infrastructure. Documented work includes well drilling for the Francis Bok School, repairs to five wells in Lakes State, homes and agricultural facilities for returnees, and rainwater-harvesting capacity at the Manute Bol school.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Manute Bol Tournament for Peace
South Sudan
A basketball tournament in Juba brought boys and girls from South Sudan’s different tribes together to model peaceful cooperation through sport.
Outcome. The tournament served as a public peacebuilding event for young people.
- 2013Annual Nuba Day support
United States
Sudan Sunrise supported the Nuba Youth Committee’s Iowa gathering, where Nuba participants discussed reconciliation and relief efforts for communities affected by violence in the Nuba Mountains.
Outcome. The event connected diaspora organizing with humanitarian concerns in Sudan.
- 2008Sudan Peace Rally
United States
Sudan Sunrise and Manute Bol hosted a peace rally at the Iowa State House before the presidential caucuses, with participation from Simon Deng and Nathan Kleinman.
Outcome. The event brought Sudanese peace and human-rights concerns into a U.S. political and civic forum.
- 2007Call to Sudanese Solidarity
United States
Sudanese community meetings in Washington and Kansas City encouraged people across tribal and religious lines to cooperate for peace, democracy, and justice.
Outcome. The meetings produced a solidarity statement and strengthened diaspora-based organizing.
- 2006Standing Together Against Genocide
United States
A series of public events, including a Washington, D.C., banquet and related gatherings in several U.S. cities, mobilized attention and support for Darfur while presenting reconciliation as part of the response to mass violence.
Outcome. The campaign expanded Sudan Sunrise’s U.S. advocacy and diaspora engagement.
Brand decisions
2011
Support for diaspora participation in the South Sudan referendumStrategyBackground
The referendum on South Sudan’s independence created a need for voter information and practical participation support among South Sudanese living in the United States.
Action taken
Sudan Sunrise worked with the South Sudanese government on voter education, registration, poll observation, and transportation for diaspora voters.
Aftermath
The organization broadened its role from humanitarian and reconciliation work into civic participation and democratic engagement.
2009
Shift toward integrated education and infrastructure projectsStrategyBackground
After several years of advocacy and reconciliation work, Sudan Sunrise expanded its practical community-development activities in South Sudan.
Action taken
The organization began building the Manute Bol Primary School, deployed teachers, supported wells at the Francis Bok School, and assisted returnees with housing and agricultural infrastructure.
Aftermath
The Manute Bol school was expanded in 2010 and reported complete in 2011, while education and water access became recurring program areas.
Recent events
- 2014
Well-repair project supports displaced communities in Lakes State[1]
Other
Working with the Obakki Foundation, Sudan Sunrise funded repairs to five wells serving an area where internally displaced people faced unsafe water conditions.
- 2013
Manute Bol Tournament for Peace takes place in Juba[1]
Campaign
Sudan Sunrise helped coordinate a basketball tournament bringing together boys and girls from South Sudan’s different tribal communities.
- 2011
Sudan Sunrise supports South Sudan referendum participation[1]
Campaign
The organization worked with South Sudanese authorities on voter education, registration, poll observation, and transportation for diaspora voters in the United States.
- 2009
Manute Bol Primary School project begins[1]
Product launch
Sudan Sunrise began construction of the Manute Bol Primary School in Turalei and sponsored U.S. teachers to provide English and basic mathematics instruction.
- 2006
Sudan Sunrise sponsors Standing Together Against Genocide events[1]
Campaign
The organization used public events in Washington, D.C., Denver, Des Moines, and Kansas City to build support for Darfur and promote reconciliation.
- 2004
Sudan Sunrise organizes support for Darfurian refugees[1]
Other
The initiative that later became Sudan Sunrise helped South Sudanese Christians in the United States send medical aid to Darfurian Muslim refugees in Chad.
Sources2 sources
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