This article is focused on the following UN Sustainable Development Goal:
Did you know that a girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than finish secondary school? The poverty situation in South Sudan is one of the worst in the world with 82% of its population living in extreme poverty (as of 2022). Due to poverty, environmental dangers, and armed conflict, two-thirds of children need humanitarian help. To make matters worse, South Sudan is also one of the world's most conflict-ridden countries, which worsens the poverty situation.
Leading Causes
After the separation between North and South Sudan, there was hope that the country would be free of major conflicts. However, that was not the case and ever since the independence in 2011, countless wars have killed thousands and displaced millions. Conflict is one of the major causes of poverty. Displacement during the civil wars in 2013 & 2016 left thousands of children homeless. Since the crisis began, armed militias have enlisted over 19,000 child soldiers, and a total of 472,452 children were affected.
More major causes include education and climate change. Three out of five children have either never attended school or dropped out which is one of the highest rates globally. In recent years, catastrophic droughts and floods have been going on which have impacted 846 schools and 390,000 children's access to basic services. Long droughts have caused child hunger, and more than 17,000 kids are now malnourished severely. The COVID-19 Pandemic only worsened these situations. For example, it pushed school closures and made the difficulties facing the educational system worse. In addition, the pandemic caused a reduction in international aid and humanitarian help which brought on an economic crisis in the already-struggling country.
Take Action
In South Sudan, charities, volunteers, and missionaries have been helpful in reducing child poverty. UNICEF is an example of a primary source of aid. They plan to vaccinate 2.7 million South Sudanese children against measles and give 1.4 million children access to clean water & sanitation facilities in school by the end of 2023. They also plan to treat around 300,000 South Sudanese kids for severe malnutrition in addition to working towards giving 75,000 kids and their guardians "mental health and psychosocial support". Since 2012, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and South Sudan have been partners. A COVID-19 response grant from UNICEF of $7 million was given for the years 2020 to 2022 to support a variety of initiatives, including acquiring "self-learning materials", developing tailored radio broadcasted learning programs, and starting a "back-to-school campaign" to encourage students to return to class.
The leaders realized that creating a stable government was the first step toward guaranteeing a better future for South Sudan's children and the whole situation itself and in order to improve political stability in 2018, South Sudan turned to a peace deal and implemented government reform.
The international world is contributing financially to ongoing efforts to eventually eradicate child poverty in South Sudan.
Hope for the Future
Since South Sudan gained independence, its people have undergone years of suffering in all aspects of life and it hurts to even start imagining how they have had to put up with all of it. They have seen harsh realities and poor living situations, whether it be conflict, natural disasters, or a lack of education. Slowly but surely, there has been positive progress and although the rates of success have been a bit shaky recently, the world has not stopped trying to help. In addition, conflict occurrence rates have significantly decreased as a result of the government changes.
Things that you can do to help:
Spread awareness to shed light on the hidden situation
Donate to organizations (like UNHCR)
Educate your community
Support initiatives (such as the Mother and Child Cash Transfer Plus Programme)
Even if there is still room for improvement, continuous efforts have had success and offer the South Sudanese youngsters hope for a better future.
Remember, change starts with you.
Works Cited
“Extreme Poverty: A Girl in South Sudan Is More Likely to Die in Childbirth than Finish Secondary School.” UK Parliament, 13 Dec. 2022, committees.parliament.uk/committee/98/international-development-committee/news/175074/extreme-poverty-a-girl-in-south-sudan-is-more-likely-to-die-in-childbirth-than-finish-secondary-school/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.
Ministry of Social Development, et al. “Mother and Child Cash Transfer plus Programme.” Www.unicef.org, Apr. 2021, www.unicef.org/sudan/reports/mother-and-child-cash-transfer-plus-programme. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.
Philipp, Jennifer. “Child Poverty in South Sudan.” The Borgen Project, 16 Apr. 2023, borgenproject.org/child-poverty-in-south-sudan/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.
“South Sudan: Securing a Brighter Future for Children Affected by Conflict.” Www.unicef.org, 30 July 2022, www.unicef.org/southsudan/stories/south-sudan-securing-brighter-future-children-affected-conflict. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.
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