Gabriel
went home,
and got to work.

The walk, the
return, the work.

1. 1983

   Born near the Nile.

   Gabriel Akim Nyok is born in a clinic in South Sudan. The middle name Akim — "doctor" in Dinka — comes from the rarity of being born in a clinic at all.

2. ~1985

   Carried out of South Sudan.

   At two or three years old, Gabriel is among the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan — over 20,000 children separated from their families by the civil war. Red Cross volunteers carry him from a displaced-persons camp in South Sudan to a UNHCR camp in Northern Kenya. He grows up there as an orphan with his brother.

3. 2006

   Resettled in California.

   After earning a UNICEF scholarship to attend school in Kenya — and then teaching at the camp himself — Gabriel is among the South Sudanese refugees brought to the U.S. by the U.S. government. He lands in the Bay Area and enrolls at De Anza College.

4. 2011

   First trip back to Africa.

   Gabriel visits South Sudanese refugee settlements in Uganda. Seeing children living the same way he had a few years earlier, he resolves to make a difference. He starts personally sending refugee children to school each year through his own donations.

5. Feb 2018

   Helping Hands is founded.

   Gabriel and a group of fellow former Lost Boys file for 501(c)(3) status. The IRS grants exemption with an effective date of February 26, 2018. The same year, Gabriel earns his BS from San Jose State — Justice Studies major, Human Rights minor.

6. Sep 2022

   Family moves back to Africa.

   After 16 years in the U.S. and five children born in California, Gabriel and Roda move the family to Kampala, Uganda — closer to the schools, the camps, and the work. He returns to the U.S. periodically for speaking and fundraising.

7. 2023

   Two new schools in Juba.

   HHSS helps build the Juba Integrated Elementary School and the Juba Integrated High School. By 2024, the org is supporting roughly 750 children at the Juba schools alone.

8. 2025

   1,500 students at six schools.

   Across South Sudan and Uganda, HHSS sponsors 1,500 students at six partner schools. The board is still all volunteer. Gabriel still takes no income from donations.

All volunteers.

Gabriel Akim Nyok

Founder & Chairman

Founded HHSS in 2018. Lives in Kampala. Takes no income from donations.

Ron Dickel

Secretary / Treasurer

Retired tax VP from Intel. Former Treasurer at Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos and director at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Constance Maurer

Board Member

Retired sales pro from Honeywell. 20+ years on the board of Friends for Youth in Redwood City. Past president, Woodside Terrace Kiwanis.

Brenda Costanzo

Board Member

Retired engineering director from Lockheed Martin. 2020 Silicon Valley Business Journal Woman of Influence. Tutors math; chairs Adult Ed at PCLG.

South Sudanese volunteers.

We're based in California, so it matters to have feet on the ground in the communities we're trying to help. These volunteers handle day-to-day coordination — and we're grateful for them.

• Isaiah Mayen
• Michael Kui
• Taban Agau
• Samuel Ayuen