The project

The Ireneo Dud Vocational Training Centre (IDVTC) is the first and main project carried out by SUDIN. It is a vocational school located in Barghel, a rural village of about 1,000 inhabitants in Cueibet County, Lakes State, South Sudan.

The school stands on about 500 hectares of land donated by the local government in 2006 and was the first institution of its kind in a country that is slowly emerging from more than 40 years of civil war — the longest the African continent experienced in the 20th century.

How the school is organised

The school is part of the education department of the Diocese of Rumbek and is run in partnership with SUDIN and AVSI.

Classes: from middle school to high school

The IDVTC was founded as a vocational middle school with three classes, P6-P8 (equivalent to Italian scuole medie). Since 2025, the school has been transforming into a vocational high school, with the progressive introduction of the Senior 1-4 classes (S1-S4, equivalent to Italian scuole superiori).

The transition runs at the pace of one swap per school year: each year a P class is discontinued and a new S class is introduced. From 2028, once the rollout is complete, the IDVTC will offer four years of vocational secondary education.

Curriculum

The Ireneo Dud foundation is a private school recognised by the Ministry of Education. Upon completion of the programme, students can enter the workforce or move on to higher education.

In addition to the standard subjects (English, mathematics, science, social studies, geography, history, religion), students take practical and technical courses in:

• Construction
• Agriculture
• Weaving

Results

Since the start of the project, more than 350 students have graduated, of whom nearly 100 are women. Many ranked among the top performers in their state for admission to secondary school. Overall, more than 800 people have benefited from the school’s basic training.

The number of graduates keeps growing each year.

The new project

When it opened, the IDVTC served a region where primary education was almost non-existent. Over time, more and more children have gained access to primary schools run by the local authorities. Demand for secondary education has therefore grown — the Senior 1-4 (S1-S4) classes, equivalent to Italian high school. The IDVTC is therefore being transformed into a vocational high school through the progressive introduction of the Senior classes, following the schedule shown above.

To meet these new needs, the centre will build new classrooms, two dormitories, a new dining hall, a staff room and a library. Construction of these new facilities will start in September 2025.

The women’s dormitory

To make the transformation of the IDVTC into a vocational high school possible and to provide access for female students coming from the most distant villages, a new women’s dormitory will be built. At the moment only 13 of the 34 girls attending the school have a place to stay on campus.

The project, titled “Roots of Knowledge, Wings of Equality: where education takes root, equality takes flight”, has been funded by the Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia under the 2025 Call for international cooperation (Regional Law 19/2000).

With the support of:

Regional Law 19/2000

Who was Ireneo Dud?

The Barghel school is named after Ireneo Wien Dud, the first South Sudanese bishop. Born in 1912 in Mbili, Sudan, and baptised in 1923, Ireneo Dud was ordained a priest in 1944 after many years in the seminary, and for many years led the Comboni church of Wau, not far from Barghel. He spoke English, Italian and Arabic fluently, along with the local Dinka, Jur and Bviri languages. When the Vicariate of Rumbek was created in 1995, Ireneo Dud was appointed bishop in the cathedral of Wau. He died on 24 April 1988.