Our Values

Integrity

SSYEP is a public charity nonprofit organization with a very high level of integrity. It is managed by a very strong board of directors consisting up of current and retired public professionals here in Oregon and elsewhere within the United States. Our board members are bound by passion to serve and altruism. They are not paid to do this work. SSYEP accepts government funding and public donations. We prioritize explicit openness, reliability and trustworthiness to our donors and the people we serve. Beside pursuing honorable initiatives in terms of the people we serve, we conduct our businesses in ways that are honest, transparent and ethical. Our bylaws are all laid out clearly.

Compassion

Part of what has broken down many societies in conflicts including the homelands of South Sudanese refugees we serve in East Africa is lack of compassion towards other fellow humans. One of our core values is compassion. Compassionate people find commonalities with other people. We use our funds as tools to translate our empathy into the service of others and teach compassion through the work we do.

Gratitude

SSYEP is always grateful to the donors and those we serve because we do believe that nobody can grow alone. We also believe that not every young person in the world is privileged enough to have access to formal educational opportunities in spite of potential they may have. All of us are products of someone else's hard work. These could be our parents or guardians who had done what it took to make us grow emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, morally, and physically. Some of us are products of strangers who had compassion and generous hearts to sacrifice their time and material to help us become who we have become. Our relationships with others are the greatest determinant of our happiness. So it makes sense to think of other people as we build our gratitude. Robert Emmons (2010) suggests that focusing our gratitude on people for whom we're thankful rather than circumstances or material items will enhance the benefits we experience.

Altruism

SSYEP is formed on the foundation of altruism. We, the board of directors, are driven by our passion to serve others, the vulnerable South Sudanese refugees some of whom have lived in the camp for more than 30 years. Altruism is an act of kindness to other people. It is acting to help someone else at some cost to oneself. It can include a vast range of behaviors, from sacrificing one's life to save others, to giving money to charity or volunteering at a soup kitchen, to simply waiting a few seconds to hold the door open for a stranger.

Kindness

There is this adage which goes, “there is no wisdom without kindness.” Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Affection, gentleness, warmth, concern, and care are words that are associated with kindness. Although in some cultures where hostility is glorified as a symbol of strength and brevity, kindness has a connotation of meaning someone is naive or weak, that is not the case. Being kind often requires courage and strength. Kind people understand themselves. They appreciate when others show them kindness; they feel remorse when they find themselves on the wrong; and they apologize if they are mistaken.

Hard Work

SSYEP's vision is to teach hard work, self-reliance, compassion, integrity, altruism, and gratitude to the young people of South Sudan who will be fortunate to acquire scholarship. Hard work is what you do on top of all that. It's what you do after you've put in your eight hours, after you've cleaned your apartment, after you've kept all your appointments and followed through on all your promises. Hard work is above and beyond—and it's the only thing that will push you above and beyond. This is the most important core value driving all of us, the board of directors to add this duty of charity on a pro bono basis.