His countrymen now understand that education is the key to recovery, and "everyone wants their kids to go to school,'' he said.

The more than 200 children and 15 teachers in Turalei meet under trees or don't meet at all if it rains, which it does a lot from May through October. Bol said they have no books or equipment.

About 85 percent of the population in southern Sudan is illiterate and about 1.5 million children have no schools to attend, according to Sudan Sunrise. And only about 7 percent of the teachers in the south have any professional training.

Bol envisions an eight-classroom school; villagers will make the bricks and the donated money would be used for a solid roof, books and supplies. And Bol hopes to persuade American teachers to train the Sudanese teachers. The preliminary fundraising goal is $120,000.

If he could, Bol said, he'd also like to build a clinic to help fight malaria, which is the No. 1 killer in his country.

"If I had the money, I would build both,'' Bol said. "I want to continue doing that, to build both, maybe build more school(s) and more clinic(s). I want to help my people out.''

Sudan Sunrise is sponsoring a similar effort with Francis Bok, who was kidnapped from his southern Sudanese village of Gourion when he was 7 and was a slave for Muslims in northern Sudan for 10 years before escaping in 1996. Bok, who lives in Boston, visited Gourion in February and was devastated by what he saw.

"Some people don't have food to eat, clean water to drink, no place to stay,'' he said. "But when we asked them what we could do for them, they all said 'Build us a school.'''

Bol and Bok say their schools will welcome both Christians and Muslims.

"The Muslim people in Sudan are not that bad,'' Bol said. "The only bad people are in the government. We must work together. We cannot let what is happening in Darfur happen again in the south. Education and working together is the only way.''

More news

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Survival of the fittest

LIVE: The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are playing for a berth into the Eastern Conference finals where the winner will face the Miami Heat.

NBC Sports

SportsTalk: Do Heat actually want Celtics?

  SportsTalk: Who do the Heat really want to play in the Eastern Conference finals?

Headlines

• Label

CSN: Surgery ends season for Celtics' Bradley

SportsTalk: Do Heat actually want Celtics?

PBT: Spoelstra fined $25K for criticizing officials

PBT: Knicks give Woodson multiyear extension

PBT: Knicks' J.R. Smith arrested in South Beach

PBT Extra: Can young Thunder stun Spurs?

PBT: How do Thunder deal with Spurs' Parker?

PBT: As The Magic Turn — no decision on Howard