Theil T. Theil is our founder and President and CEO. This is his account of how a vision conceived in Aweil became Undying Hope International.
A red sky over Aweil
Theil T. Theil conceived the vision of Undying Hope in 1986, during the civil war in Sudan. He was 11. A military convoy was sent to his hometown, Aweil. When the convoy arrived, a landmine exploded under one of the military vehicles. The commander, furious, ordered his troops to burn civilian houses, to shoot to kill, and to plunder whatever they could lay their hands on.
The sky turned red from the smoke. The sun disappeared. People ran through crossfire as fast as their feet would carry them. Neighbors cried for the dead. Scores of families were suddenly homeless, and countless young people left Aweil that night. Theil witnessed it. He has called it one of the most heinous attacks against civilians he saw, and he saw it as a child.
His father was the Acting Commissioner. He was overpowered. Sorrow, helplessness, and anger were written on his face. After that day the schools in Aweil closed. The commander turned several of them into military camps. A town that had classrooms in the morning had none by nightfall.
Theil carried the vision for more than thirty years. What he never lost, he writes, was hope. That is why the work is called Undying Hope. In 2019, thirty-three years after the red sky, the vision was born as Undying Hope International, Inc.
A name that means hunger
He writes that the hope developed in his heart by way of three rivers.
“This Undying Hope, my ocean of desire for South Sudan, developed in my heart by way of three rivers: my culture, my circumstances, and my spiritual growth.”
— Theil T. Theil
He was raised during Sudan’s civil war and lived through insurmountable odds. He writes that he has never lost hope. He thought it fit to include the reasons why Undying Hope matters and what it means to him.
“In my dialect, Dinka, Theil means “sleeping on an empty stomach.” Literally, my name means going to bed hungry.”
— Theil T. Theil
In South Sudan, he writes, it is not uncommon for children to go to bed hungry. He has slept hungry countless times, as many South Sudanese have. Even then, there was hope that there would be something to eat tomorrow. An undying hope. His utmost hope is that this work would play a role in ending hunger through education, in South Sudan and beyond, so that no one will have to “Theil” again.
The circumstances were as plain as the name. Decades of war left people grappling with economic hardship, too few good schools, poor health facilities, and a lack of paved roads. When he was a child, his classroom was under a tree. Students sat on stones and shared one or two UNICEF notebooks for every subject. That scarcity lit a desire to help build a South Sudan where a child can go to school, dream, and reach a full life.
Managil: one tribe called South Sudan
Education is the heartbeat of the work, and a boarding school is the form he trusts. After intermediate school he enrolled at Managil High School, in Managil, a city in Jazeera State about 150 miles south of Khartoum, where his family was living. Boarding school took him away from home. He still calls those three years one of the best experiences of his life.
At Managil he lived, shared meals, and studied with students from different tribes of South Sudan. The friendships lasted. The lesson he names is that out of the many tribes and backgrounds, there was only one tribe called South Sudan.
He hopes a boarding school of our own will bring different tribes together to live and study in harmony, love, peace, and unity, as Managil did for him. He is passionate about what a boarding school can do, and he is optimistic that an intentional school can serve communities across a young nation. The school plan that grew from it is on the School of Leadership page.
Coming to America
Theil was born and raised in Aweil. At 13 his family moved to Khartoum and were classified as internally displaced people. Nine years later, after 45 days of compulsory military training, he reached Syria. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Damascus recognized him as a refugee.
He came to the United States in September 1998 through Catholic Charities of New Jersey and became a citizen in June 2004. He did not speak English when he arrived.
With Aluel G. Malu he co-founded Undying Hope International. They live in East Africa with their children, Thomas-Dhel Theil and Ayan Theil, also known as Nina.
2019: Undying Hope begins
Undying Hope is a vision of love, hope, peace, and resilience, formed to promote quality education in South Sudan and beyond.
Schools in this region are few, and many children over fifteen do not continue their schooling because of economic hardships. Theil understands that it does not have to be this way. It is time to hope for a better future and time to put that hope into action.
The hope is to invest in the current leaders and raise up future leaders who excel in good character and wise vision. He believes that intentional and quality education is a solution to the problems currently facing war-torn South Sudan.
The first stage he named is a school, a community center, and a church in Aweil. Students would follow the South Sudanese secondary curriculum, and also leadership, health, financial literacy, and spiritual formation. Four styles of leadership are the focus: servant-based, transformational, financial, and organizational. The plan includes an administrative office in Juba.
In 2022, after two years of persistence, Undying Hope was registered in South Sudan and could operate as an official NGO. Josephine Mangu became coordinator in Juba. Communities in Aweil and Wau gave land. The board that serves now is named on the leadership page.
An undying hope
As a follower of Jesus Christ, his utmost hope is eternal life. Hope, he writes, does not die so long as we are alive. He prays that he will one day hear, “well done, good and faithful servant.” The residency at Bay Area Community Church shaped him through scripture and daily practice.
“My hope for a better future has never died.”
— Theil T. Theil
Since he was a boy in the civil war, he believed good days lay ahead for South Sudan. For that hope to bear fruit, he writes, seeds have to be planted through education and watered with leadership. Aluel G. Malu, also called Rose, is co-founder with him. The communities of Aweil and Wau answered their hope with land.
Theil and Aluel speak to schools, organizations, churches, and groups. You can book Theil and Aluel for public speaking.
If you want to stand with the students, the teachers, and the land, you can give. If you want the school that grew out of Managil, read the School of Leadership plan.