Nilöu Foundation
In the UK we support South Sudanese newcomers with education, settlement and community. In South Sudan and neighbouring countries we help people access university education and scholarships.
Too many opportunities are missed. Access to the right guidance makes the difference.
Nilöu Foundation is a South Sudanese led organisation working with South Sudanese communities in two ways. In the UK, we work directly with asylum seekers, refugees and newcomers, supporting them through education, settlement and community. In South Sudan and neighbouring countries, we work with people who want to access higher education and scholarships but do not know where to start.
We provide practical, hands-on support. We take the time to understand each person's situation and work through it with them. Whether that is a university application, student finance, understanding the system or simply knowing there is someone in their corner.
Nilöu Foundation belongs to every South Sudanese person, in the UK and back home. We are one community.
Nyakim Nyuot
Founder, Nilöu Foundation
Nyakim Nyuot is the founder and director of Nilöu Foundation. Born in Kenya, raised in Egypt and grown up in the UK, she built a career as a primary school teacher, working closely with children and families from a range of backgrounds including South Sudanese communities.
In the classroom, she saw how much falls through the cracks when families arrive in the UK without the right support. Parents who did not know how to access services. Children navigating systems their families could not explain. The information and guidance simply were not there.
A move to South Korea to teach gave her a personal understanding of what it means to be in a new country without a guide. She had lived it. Her community lived it every day.
When her grandfather, Stephen With Ngunoah, passed away, Nyakim travelled to Nyirol, South Sudan. He had spent his life committed to education and community. That visit solidified the decision to make the Foundation official.
Nilöu Foundation is rooted in his legacy and built to serve the South Sudanese community, in the UK and back home.
South Sudanese people carry enormous ambition. Many have survived displacement, built lives across multiple countries and arrived in the UK ready to move forward. But the systems here are complex, the processes are unfamiliar and there is often no one to help navigate them. Without the right support at the right moment, real opportunities are missed.
The same is true back home. Across South Sudan and neighbouring countries, there are people with the ability and drive to pursue higher education who simply do not know how to access it. The information exists. The opportunities exist. The missing piece is guidance from someone who understands both the system and the community.
That is the gap Nilöu Foundation fills, from within the community, by people who have lived these experiences themselves.
Whether someone is navigating a new life in the UK or trying to find a path to university from South Sudan, the need is the same: clear, trusted guidance from people who understand. That is what Nilöu Foundation is here to provide.
Three focused programmes, each addressing a different part of the education and settlement journey.
We work directly with people to understand their goals, identify the right education pathway and complete applications from start to finish. This includes university applications, student finance, college enrolment and access to available opportunities. For those outside the UK, we also provide guidance on international university applications and scholarship access.
Workshops covering English language skills and practical knowledge for life in the UK. We cover everything from understanding services and systems to building confidence in everyday situations. These sessions are designed to help newcomers feel prepared and supported as they settle.
Every newcomer is paired with a South Sudanese person already living in the UK. Buddies offer practical guidance, local knowledge and regular check ins. It is about having someone who understands your experience and can support you as you build your life here.
Nilöu Foundation runs on the belief that every South Sudanese person deserves access to education and opportunity. If that matters to you too, there are ways to help.
Every contribution goes directly into the work. It keeps our programmes running in the UK and supports our education work in South Sudan and neighbouring countries. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch.
Contact us to donateIf you would like to learn more, refer someone, partner with us or access support, we would love to hear from you.