Today I was so fortunate to attend a presentation by one of the most inspiring people I've ever heard.

Jok Madut Jok, Ph.D., a professor of history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, is obviously making a difference in his students' lives here in the U.S. But he's making an even bigger difference in the lives of 350 students at the school he founded in South Sudan, Marol Academy.

Emphasizing enrollment of girls, for whom the literacy rate in Sudan is less than 2%, the school enrollment consists of 60% females. These children previously had no opportunity to go to school in their country since 1983, when the brutal civil war began between North and South Sudan.

Looking at the photos of the children in Jok's presentation, it was easy to see the pride they took in their well-pressed uniforms (ironed not with the use of electricity but with a metal plate heated by burning coal) and the fact that they are students at this pioneering school.

The hope is that Marol Academy will encourage other rural communities to see education as a step toward reversing violence and moving toward health, peace and understanding between nations.

You can help. Just $20 will buy a set of school uniforms for a child for a year. $10 will buy a fruit tree for the school's garden. $10 will pay for pencils and workbooks for a child for a semester. $300 will pay a teacher's salary for a month.

Any donation is appreciated and is tax-deductable. Visit the website for more information and to make a donation via PayPal or credit card.

At a time when America is facing tough economic times, it's helpful to remember that there are children in other parts of the world who would be delighted just to go to school; to have pencils and books. Your donation could make a big difference in the life of a child, a community and this world.