Through education, Save the Children Sweden has already empowered a great number of children in Southern Sudan to seek a better future. The organization aims at reaching even more children by the end of 2012.
The situation in southern Sudan is stable as concerns the conflict between the south and the north. However, internal strife is still common in a number of states such as Lakes state and Jonglei state where there have been inter-tribal conflicts.
- Since there is no longer a common enemy, inter clan conflicts have threatened the stability and caused a concern for the children in these areas. This situation has led to an increase of children who have been armed to protect their cattle and to take part in cattle raids, explains Kevin Heraniah, programme manager at Save the Children Sweden’s office in Southern Sudan.
The abduction of children when these raids take place is increasing, and children are left without care and are orphaned as a result of these conflicts.
Cases of child labour abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, early marriage and denied opportunities to education are still widespread.
Protection through Education
Save the Children Sweden has created, trained and strengthened Community Support Groups (groups of village community volunteers) which have been implementing child protection programmes in the community.
There is also an established training programme for teachers, the military, the police, politicians and the youth to contribute to the community development. The target is to have all the youth, especially the vulnerable groups of former child soldiers, returnees and those with disabilities included in the programme.
- The former child soldiers and a majority of the returnees didn’t have access to education during the war, says Kevin Heraniah.
Save the Children Sweden has continued to provide training opportunities to out of school youth and demobilized child soldiers who cannot go back to formal primary education. More than 1200 youths, among them former child soldiers, have annually attained training in several trades like carpentry, masonry, hairdressing and mechanics.
He built his own way to education
James Deng Wol joined the Youth Education training centre when it opened in Malualkon, Northern Bahr El Ghazal State in 2001.
The students were children associated with armed forces, formerly abducted children and children with slight disabilities. The courses offered were carpentry and masonry.
James joined the centre when he was 13 years old and studied carpentry, masonry and life skills subjects such as micro enterprise, leadership skills and child rights.
He graduated in 2002 and was one of the children who contributed to the construction of Save the Children’s office in Malualkon as part of their practice. As his mother was widowed, James also took part in other projects within Malualkon to support his family.
When James was 18 years old, he joined the Cmboni primary school ( private catholic primary school) with the money he had made. He completed his education at primary school but as his family still depended on him for food and education, James had no money to join secondary school. He started to work as a driver at Save the Children Sweden in 2008. In his spare time, he still works with carpentry and masonry projects to supplement his income. His dream is to earn enough of money for him and his siblings to go to high school.
Married girl returned to school
Ayen Mawut is 17 years old and started school in 2003 at the age of 11. Two years ago, she was married off to a soldier. She was installed as a wife, but after missing one year of
school, she decided to return to complete her education.
She points out that a girl who wants to study in Southern Sudan meets many obstacles: Too much work at home, lack of motivation to study, early and forced marriage, learning under trees without enough text books and other materials and recurrent inter tribal and other inter-clan fights.
- But thanks to my supportive husband, it was not difficult to convince the other members of my new family that I should juggle marital responsibilities with school work, she says.
Abina Jok Primary school is found in Rumbek Central Payam, Lakes State, Southern Sudan and was established during the British occupation of Sudan before the Sudanese independence 1956.
Mr George Juba Matueny has been the head teacher since the establishment of the school, which serves up to 11 villages. According to him, girls who want to study envisage many obstacles.
-When a girl begins to show signs of biological maturity, parents come to pick them from school and marry them off in exchange of dowry, usually a number of cattle, he says.
Another problem is that girls get cheated into relationships that result in pregnancy, which immediately leads to negotiations of marriage, Mr Juba Matueny explains.
A lot of children living in poverty also have limited time to study due to domestic work, he adds.
Learning in Abina Jok Primary school depends on the absence of rain since the majority of the children sit under trees. Most of the children bring plastic chairs to school and back home every day, and carry books in waterproof paper bags.
Ayen Mawut likes being in the company of girls of her age: reading, writing, dancing, chasing the ball and going to the water point looking forward to a bright future. The fact
that she got married doesn’t stop her resolve to get an education.
- In Southern Sudan, the majority of children have not received any formal schooling. Around 20% of children enroll in school. Only 2% complete primary education. The teachers are often untrained and unpaid.
- Save the Children Sweden reach approximately 100 000 children in Southern Sudan, both directly and indirectly in schools, through clubs, festivals and governance projects.
- The youth education training reaches 360 children and youth per year.
- SCS aim at reaching 30 720 more children in Southern Sudan by the end of 2012. A focus will be on children who are marginalized today: girls, children in cattle camps, children with disabilities and returnees.
Photos: Ayen Mawut is walking home after school on a rainy day, carrying her books and her chair.
Photographer: Daddy Obware
(Text: Ebba Blume)