Preserving heritage, fostering unity, and developing the Karo Language to international standards for the people of South Sudan and generations to come.
KALDI is dedicated to elevating the Karo Language to academic and professional standards while strengthening cultural identity.
The Karo Language Development Institute (KALDI) is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Karo Language, ensuring it thrives as a medium of communication, education, and cultural identity for the Karo people of South Sudan.
Karo Language Development Institute (KALDIĀ®) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, community-driven, and non-political organization that was founded in 2010 by six members of the Karo People in Juba, South Sudan. Its primary mission is the development of the Karo language, aiming to make it widely spoken by the Karo, easily taught, learned, written, and read. Additionally, KALDI strives to develop the Karo language into an effective instrument that unites the Karo people and enriches their cultural heritage.
On 1st August 2019, over 250 members of the Karo People endorsed a Declaration, recognizing the six major sections of the Karo PeopleāBari, Kakuwa, Kuku, Mundari, Nyangwara, and Pojulu. This declaration emphasized that these communities share many aspects in common, such as common words, culture, heritage, folklore, expressions, idioms, baby naming traditions, history, and, of course, territory.
KALDI was officially incorporated on 1st December 2021 by the Office of the Chief Registrar in the Republic of South Sudan, receiving Certificate of Incorporation number 36.451 under the South Sudan Companies Registration Act 2012. Article 9 of the KALDI Constitution states that "The Institute is organized exclusively as a think-tank and for educational and academic purposes. It is also organized on a non-stock, non-trust, non-profit, non-political, and non-partisan basis, in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Sudan."
Articles 10, 11, and 12 of the Constitution outline the governance structure, with KALDI being managed by the General Assembly (comprising 30 members elected from the six Karo Constituent Communities), the Board of Governors (comprised of six members), and the Secretariat, which operates under the leadership of a Secretary-General responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Institute.
30 members elected from the six Karo Constituent Communities
Six members providing strategic oversight
Led by Secretary-General for day-to-day operations
Elevating our mother tongue to international academic standards while preserving its cultural essence and fostering unity among our people.
The mission of the Institute is to promote and develop the Karo Language, cultures, traditions and customs of the Karo People of the Republic of South Sudan, with the objective of making the same attractive and easy-to-learn lingua franca, that shall be used as a vehicle for fomenting national unity, peace and solidarity amongst the Karo People of the Republic of South Sudan by inter alia, promoting awareness among the same People to realize and recognize their common identity, cultural heritage and ancestry.
Using language as a vehicle for fomenting peace and solidarity amongst the Karo People.
Promoting awareness to help our people recognize their common identity and cultural heritage.
Connecting our people with their common ancestry and shared cultural foundation.
Comprehensive goals designed to elevate the Karo Language and strengthen cultural bonds.
The Institute aims to achieve the following objectives:
To galvanize efforts for developing a standard Karo Language through scientific, academic, linguistic, professional and literary research with the aim of making the same easy-to-learn and attractive to local, regional and international scholars, researchers and learners.
To ascertain that the Karo Language becomes an instrument for cementing unity among the Karo People.
To encourage families of the Karo Community to patronize their language by speaking their mother tongue in their households and social gatherings, and identify with the same.
To carry out educational, literary, cultural, traditional, customary and scientific research and activities for the promotion, development and advancement of the Karo Language, by organizing workshops, seminars, community or group meetings, symposia, and conferences for the attainment of these objectives.
To propagate and advocate for the promotion of the use of the Karo Language as a medium of instruction in schools within the Republic of South Sudan.
To exploit the common roots of the Karo Language as a medium for enrichment of the common cultural heritage, cohesion, unity, togetherness, sense of belonging and destiny of the greater body of the People of the Republic of South Sudan.
The Institute shall further aim to create and establish a constituent centre for developing material, curricula and guidelines for teaching of the Karo Language and other linguistic notes and documentation of material pertaining to the different Karo cultural rites, social fulfilment, traditions and customs in a bid to enrich the field of African social studies generally.
Your support helps us preserve the Karo Language, strengthen cultural identity, and build bridges of unity among the people of South Sudan. Join us in this vital mission.