Bishop Elias Taban (born May 10, 1955) is founder of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Sudan and the non-profit Water is Basic. A former child soldier, Taban holds a diploma in civil engineering and an advanced diploma in theology. He served as a Colonel in the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) during the second civil war before becoming an advocate for peace who is widely respected by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan. The Bishop's ministry has focused on building wells, orphanages, schools, and health clinics, as well as advocating for the Arms Trade Treaty. From 2003 to the present, Bishop Taban has served as the President of the Sudan Evangelical Alliance. He and his wife Annegrace live in Yei South Sudan with their five adopted children.
Taban spent the first 40 years of his life in war. On the day he was born, a massacre in his hometown of Yei forced his mother to flee into the jungle where she hid with her newborn for the first three days of his life. From the ages of 8 to 13 he was forced to serve as a child soldier in Sudan's first civil war until his family helped him escape to Uganda. Taban went on to earn a degree in civil engineering and an advanced degree in theology. During Sudan's second civil war, he served as a Colonel in the SPLA and founded the army's chaplain's corp. In 1990 Taban founded the Presbyterian Church in his province and was elected the National Bishop of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 2003. The Bishop was also elected President of the Sudanese Evangelical Alliance in 2004, a position he still holds.
The Bishop is married to Annegrace Taban, who served as a captain in the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). She holds a degree in theology and heads the Christian Women's Empowerment Program, the largest women's church organization in South Sudan. Bishop Taban and Annegrace live in Yei with their five adopted children.
One of Bishop Taban's ministries, Water is Basic, was born out of a 2006 peace conference between pastors from Sudan and South Sudan. Access to clean water is one of the major challenges facing South Sudan and threatening its stability. Most water extracted from local rivers host parasites and other diseases, which results in widespread illness among local populations. Water is Basic has built nearly 500 wells across South Sudan since 2008, providing clean water to approximately 10% of the population. The non-profit operates through a sustainable model that requires local communities to finance the repair and maintenance of the wells and creates jobs by hiring local Sudanese workers. Proceeds from the wells fund job training businesses, orphanages, health clinics, and schools throughout the country.