From the classrooms of Magwi to the streets of Louisville — AYAA's programs transform lives through education, clean water, girls' safety, and diaspora support.
Before 2022, secondary education in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria was desperately out of reach for most families. Students who finished primary school had nowhere to go — the nearest secondary school was hours away on roads that become impassable during the rainy season.
Ayaa Senior Secondary School changed everything. Located in Magwi Center, the school offers Senior One through Senior Four — the full complement of high school education — with a curriculum aligned to South Sudan's national standards. With 200+ students currently enrolled, the school is already one of the most significant educational investments in the region.
The school was built from scratch using funds that founder Simon Ottaviano raised through the most personal possible means: he sold his home and cashed out his retirement savings. Every brick in those walls represents his sacrifice — and his belief that education is the only sustainable path out of poverty.
Visit the School PageClean water is not a luxury. It is the foundation upon which everything else is built: health, learning, safety, and dignity. For the village of Magwi, access to safe water has been compromised for generations by the River Ayii — a water source that carries the parasitic disease bilharzia (schistosomiasis), quietly devastating the health of the community.
AYAA has partnered with WaterStep, a Louisville-based nonprofit with proven expertise in deploying water purification technology in resource-limited settings. Together, we are bringing a reliable clean water system to Ayaa Senior Secondary School and the broader Magwi village — permanently eliminating the bilharzia threat for the students and families who depend on it.
This partnership means students can drink safely at school. It means families no longer have to choose between disease risk and thirst. It means the teachers we rely on stay healthy and in their classrooms. Clean water is not separate from our education mission — it is essential to it.
WaterStep is a Louisville, Kentucky nonprofit whose mission is to eliminate waterborne disease worldwide through sustainable water treatment technology, education, and community partnership. They have served communities across Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Girls currently walk 4 to 5 miles each way, every school day, to attend Ayaa Senior Secondary School. This journey exposes them to danger and causes many to drop out entirely. A dormitory will change everything.
Education cannot transform lives if girls cannot safely reach the classroom. The reality for female students at Ayaa Senior Secondary School is stark: many live in villages up to 5 miles from the school, with no safe housing option nearby. Every morning, they make the journey before dawn. Every evening, they make it again — often in the dark, often alone, always vulnerable.
The consequences are devastating: girls drop out, fall behind, or never enroll in the first place. Families — particularly those with daughters — weigh the risk of the walk against the benefit of education and sometimes choose safety over schooling. This is a tragedy that a dormitory can prevent.
AYAA's Girls' Dormitory Campaign will build safe, supervised residential facilities at the school — giving female students a secure place to sleep, study, and flourish. With a dormitory, girls from distant villages can enroll and stay enrolled. The gender gap in secondary education in Magwi will close.
Support the DormitoryLouisville, Kentucky is home to one of the United States' most vibrant South Sudanese diaspora communities. These are people who, like Simon Ottaviano, fled war and built new lives in the Commonwealth — workers, parents, students, entrepreneurs, and elders who carry the culture of South Sudan in their hearts while navigating the challenges of American life.
AYAA serves this community directly, offering a range of support programs for South Sudanese immigrants, refugees, and their families in the Louisville area. From cultural connection and community events to navigating services and resources, AYAA is a home away from home for South Sudanese Louisvillians.
Simon Ottaviano's dual role — as a businessman and community leader in Louisville and as a school founder in Magwi — reflects AYAA's philosophy: you do not choose between your old community and your new one. You serve both, with everything you have.
Connect With AYAA200+ students enrolled in high school — many of whom would otherwise have no access to secondary education at all.
A community freed from bilharzia. Students and villagers with access to safe water for the first time in generations.
A dormitory campaign that will eliminate the dangerous daily walk for female students and close the gender gap in enrollment.
South Sudanese Louisvillians with a community hub, cultural connection, and the resources to thrive in their adopted home.