Padoc Area Scholars Society, USA - PASS

Padoc Area Scholars Society, USA - PASS PASS supports South Sudanese youth especially young women to rise above extreme poverty through education, access and opportunity.
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PASS USA currently supports more than 400 youths in universities across four countries, with a 95% graduation rate.But b...
09/23/2026

PASS USA currently supports more than 400 youths in universities across four countries, with a 95% graduation rate.

But behind every number is a person.
A student who kept going.
A young person who worked hard, faced challenges, and stayed committed to earning a degree.

More than 400 students mean more than 400 stories. More than 400 dreams. More than 400 futures with new possibilities.

A degree represents hard work, sacrifice, and determination. It also represents the support that
helped a student stay on the path to graduation.

PASS USA provides scholarship support for tuition, university fees, textbooks, research costs, and based on need, transportation, room and board, and food assistance.
Because getting into university matters.
But staying and graduating matters too.

These students are preparing to use their education to strengthen their families, communities, professions, and the future of South Sudan.

Behind every graduate is a story that didn't end with poverty.
We invite philanthropists, foundations, churches, institutions, corporate partners, and
supporters around the world to stand with PASS USA and help more South Sudanese youths
reach their educational goals.

Together, we can help more students graduate and build brighter futures.

Global Partnership for Education Education Cannot Wait African Union/Centre for Girls and Women's Education in Africa - AU/CIEFFA



Peace is more than the absence of war.It’s the freedom to learn without fear. To grow up without violence deciding your ...
09/21/2026

Peace is more than the absence of war.

It’s the freedom to learn without fear. To grow up without violence deciding your future. To disagree without becoming enemies. To dream about tomorrow because you believe tomorrow will come.

The United Nations created the International Day of Peace in 1981. In 2001, September 21 became an official day of non-violence and ceasefire. (United Nations)

But history has taught us something important. Peace can’t be held together by silence alone.

It takes justice.
It takes education.
It takes opportunity.
It takes communities willing to listen, forgive, and rebuild.

And it takes young people equipped not just to inherit their communities, but to help shape them.

For young people who’ve lived through conflict and displacement, peace isn’t an idea. It’s a classroom that stays open. A family that stays together. A community where a young woman can get an education without fear. A future where talent isn’t lost to circumstances no one chose.

Our faith calls us to pursue peace, not just pray for it.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” — Matthew 5:9

Today, we remember that building peace isn’t only the job of governments and institutions.

It starts with what we teach. What we model. How we treat each other. And the chances we give the next generation.

Peace is built one person, one community, one generation at a time.

Education Beyond BordersFor millions of young people affected by conflict and displacement, education is more than a cla...
09/21/2026

Education Beyond Borders

For millions of young people affected by conflict and displacement, education is more than a classroom. It is hope, dignity, opportunity, and a path toward rebuilding lives.

Join PASS USA for an important conversation on how investing in education can empower refugee and displaced youths to overcome barriers, unlock their potential, and become leaders within their communities.

🎙️ Featuring Joseph Lethem, Executive Director of PASS USA, with Bella Yahaya, Communications & Content Coordinator, moderating the discussion.

Together, we will explore the challenges, the resilience, and the transformative power of education in creating a future where no young person is left behind.

📅 September 25, 2026

⏰ 10:00 AM CST

📍 Live on LinkedIn

Because education should never be limited by borders, conflict, or circumstance, it should be a right, a bridge, and a source of hope for every young person.

We’re looking for volunteers! 📣We’re looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Grant Writing to join our team and ...
09/19/2026

We’re looking for volunteers! 📣

We’re looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Grant Writing to join our team and support our work.

If you have the skills, the passion, and the time to contribute, we’d love to have you on board.

If you’re interested and think you’re a good fit for any of these roles, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for volunteers! 📣We’re looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Fundraising, to join our team and s...
09/19/2026

We’re looking for volunteers! 📣

We’re looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Fundraising, to join our team and support our work.

If you have the skills, the passion, and the time to contribute, we’d love to have you on board.

If you’re interested and think you’re a good fit for any of these roles, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for volunteers! 📣We’re looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Video Editing to join our team and ...
09/19/2026

We’re looking for volunteers! 📣

We’re looking for dedicated volunteers with skills in Video Editing to join our team and support our work.

If you have the skills, the passion, and the time to contribute, we’d love to have you on board.

If you’re interested and think you’re a good fit for any of these roles, we’d love to hear from you.

WHAT DOES EQUAL PAY HAVE TO DO WITH EDUCATION?More than we often realize.For a young woman, the journey toward economic ...
09/18/2026

WHAT DOES EQUAL PAY HAVE TO DO WITH EDUCATION?
More than we often realize.

For a young woman, the journey toward economic equality can begin long before she enters the workforce.

It begins with whether she is given the same opportunity to learn.

In South Sudan, poverty and gender expectations can influence which children families prioritize for education. When resources are limited, boys may be sent to school while girls are expected to remain at home or prepare for marriage.

And in some communities, a daughter’s marriage can bring bride price to her family, sometimes paid in cattle. UNICEF has documented how bride price and marriage practices can become closely connected to decisions about girls’ education.

The result is a painful inequality:

A young man can be prepared for a career while a young woman is prepared for marriage.

Today, 52% of young women in South Sudan were married before the age of 18. Among women aged 20 to 24, only 20% of those with secondary education or higher had married before 18, compared with 55% among those with no education.

Education cannot solve every form of inequality.

But it can change what choices are available to a young woman.

It can give her knowledge, skills, confidence, economic opportunity, and a stronger voice in decisions about her own future.

That is why, at PASS USA, we believe equal opportunity must begin with equal access to education.

We support South Sudanese youth, especially young women, because their futures should not be determined by their gender, their circumstances, or the economic value placed on marriage.

A young woman should not have to choose between her education and her family’s financial survival.

She deserves the opportunity to learn, graduate, build a career, lead, and earn on her own terms.

On International Equal Pay Day, we are reminded that the conversation about equality cannot begin at the paycheck.

It must begin much earlier.

It must begin with the classroom.

Join PASS USA in making that opportunity possible.

Whether you are a foundation, university, corporation, church, philanthropist, development organization, diaspora community, or individual, you can help expand access to higher education for South Sudanese youth, especially young women.

Support the mission. Partner with PASS USA. Invest in education. Invest in opportunity.

Because equal opportunity in education is part of building a future where women can participate equally in economic life.

YOU CAN CROSS A BORDER. YOUR POTENTIAL SHOULD NOT HAVE TO STOP THERE.UNICEF reported that more than 330,000 people had b...
09/16/2026

YOU CAN CROSS A BORDER. YOUR POTENTIAL SHOULD NOT HAVE TO STOP THERE.

UNICEF reported that more than 330,000 people had been displaced by ongoing fighting in South Sudan as of March 2026.

When conflict forces a young person to leave home, almost everything can change.
Where they live.
Where they study.
How they access basic resources.
But their potential does not disappear at the border.

PASS USA provides higher education support to South Sudanese youths affected by poverty,
conflict, and displacement, including students in refugee communities across Uganda, Kenya,
and Ethiopia.

Our scholarships go beyond tuition. Depending on demonstrated need, support can include
university fees, textbooks, research costs, transportation, room and board, and food
assistance. Because leaving home should never mean leaving education behind.
A border may change where a young person lives. It should not determine how far they can
go.

We invite foundations, universities, humanitarian organizations, churches, Christian organizations, philanthropic institutions, corporations, and individuals around the world to help keep higher education within reach for displaced South Sudanese youths.

Their circumstances may have changed.
Their potential has not.
www.southsudanpass.org

HER DIGNITY DOES NOT DEPEND ON HER CIRCUMSTANCES.At PASS USA, we believe every person is created in the image of God and...
09/14/2026

HER DIGNITY DOES NOT DEPEND ON HER CIRCUMSTANCES.

At PASS USA, we believe every person is created in the image of God and possesses inherent value, dignity, and purpose.
That belief shapes how we see young people, especially those whose circumstances may make their potential harder to see.

A young woman's worth is not determined by her family's income. It is not defined by displacement, conflict, or limited access to opportunity. And it is certainly not measured by what she has or does not have.
Her circumstances may influence her journey. They do not define her value.
This is why education matters.
Education can create access.
It can expand opportunity.
It can strengthen agency.
It can give young people greater freedom to shape the future they envision.

At PASS USA, our faith compels us to respond to barriers that stand between young people and those opportunities.
Through our scholarship program, we work to make higher education more accessible to South Sudanese youths facing financial hardship and other barriers to education. Because faith should not only shape what we believe about people. It should shape how we respond to the barriers standing in their way.

When we invest in a young person's education, we are not giving them their worth. That worth was already there. We are helping create the opportunity for their abilities, aspirations, and God given potential to flourish.

Every young person carries value, purpose, and potential. And every young person deserves the opportunity to pursue what is possible.


At PASS USA, we believe supporting a student’s education goes beyond providing a scholarship.Recently, we provided lapto...
09/11/2026

At PASS USA, we believe supporting a student’s education goes beyond providing a scholarship.

Recently, we provided laptops to some of our Student Coordinators to strengthen the work they do in supporting our scholars.

From communicating with students and tracking academic progress to preparing reports, managing documentation, coordinating activities, and staying connected with the PASS team, our coordinators carry important responsibilities within the scholarship programme.

In South Sudan, where electricity, internet access, and reliable technology can be limited, having a personal laptop can make that work significantly easier. Without one, a coordinator may have to travel long distances and spend money simply to access a computer and complete reports or other programme-related work.

This is one example of what practical support looks like at PASS USA: identifying the barriers that affect education and programme delivery, and finding practical ways to address them.

And there is still much more to do.

PASS USA is currently seeking funding to continue supporting students who need help staying in and completing university. Our resources are limited, but the need remains.

We call on foundations, universities, corporations, churches, philanthropists, educational organisations, and individuals who are willing to invest in young people affected by conflict and displacement.

Because a scholarship can open the door to higher education. Sometimes, students also need the tools and support that help them remain on that journey.



Global Partnership for Education African Union/Centre for Girls and Women's Education in Africa - AU/CIEFFA




Address

1868 Selby Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
55104

Telephone

+16129682370

Website

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