Help Complete 9 Classrooms for Refugee Children in Uganda

Construction is already underway at Golden Mind Academy (GMA) in Ayilo Refugee Settlement—help us finish the classrooms so children can finally rewrite their futures.

My name is Dut Phillip Jool Joh, and I am a second-year student at Yale University, studying Ethics, Politics, and Economics and Philosophy.

But long before I embraced Yale’s “Lux et Veritas,” or even Trumbull’s “Moo! Murah!” chant, my story was shaped by something very different. I was not simply a victim of power struggles, but of something much deeper: divided hearts that forced upon me a name I never chose—a refugee.

Over a decade ago, South Sudan became divided along political and ethnic lines, and the result was a violent conflict that led to nearly 400,000 deaths and displaced millions. At a young age, I was among those forced to flee my home in Bor, South Sudan, crossing into Northern Uganda in search of safety. I arrived in Ayilo I Refugee Settlement with very little, but with one powerful belief: that education could change the direction of my life.

Although the reality on the ground was harsh, with lessons often held under trees and school stopping whenever it rained, diseases like chickenpox spread quickly and affected many of us. But one thing was different: at night, there was quiet. The only sound I could hear was the buzzing of mosquitoes, not the echoes of bullets and bombs tearing through the air.

I remember studying under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, holding on to hope even when everything around me felt uncertain, because education was not just something I wanted—it was something I depended on.

That belief, combined with the support I found along the way, carried me forward. I continued my education, completed primary and secondary school, earned scholarships, and eventually found myself studying at Yale University. Even so, I have never forgotten where I first learned the alphabet, and I know that many children today still live the same reality I once did.

Uganda hosts nearly 2 million refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In Ayilo Refugee Settlement, where this project is based, about 39,000 refugees live, placing heavy pressure on schools and resources. This is most visible in overcrowded classrooms and limited learning spaces.

That is why I started Golden Mind Academy (GMA), a nursery and primary school we are building in Ayilo Refugee Settlement to serve between 500 and 800 children from refugee communities each year. Our goal is to give these children a real chance to learn in a safe, structured, and supportive environment where they can grow academically, develop leadership, and build a better future.

Construction has already begun, which is an important step forward. However, the work is far from complete. To finish the remaining classrooms, we still need essential materials such as bricks, cement, timber, iron sheets, nails, sand, and murram for flooring, as well as labor support. Without this support now, the classrooms will remain unfinished, and children will continue learning in overcrowded conditions.

We are raising $20,000 to finish these classrooms and prepare the school to open its doors. Every contribution matters because even a small amount brings us closer to creating a place where children can learn in dignity and hope.

This project is deeply personal to me because I see my own story in the children it will serve. This is not just about buildings; it is about creating a place where children can learn, grow, and believe in their future.

This school is one step toward a larger vision—a step toward restoring what war and poverty have taken away. Golden Mind Academy may start small, but the children it will support could become the next generation of leaders who change the story of South Sudan.

I am building this from experience, not from a distance, because I have walked that path and faced those same struggles. Now, I am working to build a better path for others.

I invite you to be part of this journey and to help us finish these classrooms so that children can have the chance I once fought for.

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