South Sudan: Young people for peace and a better future
People have rarely experienced peaceful times in the latest state of Africa: since South Sudan split off from Sudan in July 2011, civil war and local struggles have been for power, money and resources, especially oil. Almost 400,000 people died from the armed fights, over four million had to flee.
Even if a new peace agreement from 2018 gives hope - implementation is only slow. There are still outbreaks of violence. With the support of Terre des Hommes and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) provides better schools and non -violent conflict solutions.
Bazungua is a rural district in the southwest of South Sudan. Here the JRS operates one of four community centers that offer girls and women a safe place: the older ones learn to knit or bake and can talk to social workers about problems such as the widespread domestic violence. The little ones learn traditional dances, exchange clothes, play volleyball or theater.
The schools in South Sudan are miserable and the teachers are hardly trained. The JRS provides learning materials for the school children of six primary schools and six secondary schools, allows classrooms and toilets to be built and ensures the further training of teachers. During the training and further training of teachers, not only knowledge in various school subjects is conveyed, but didactics, social pedagogy and peace education are also on the program.
Hossana, Siro and Naborongba (VL) are 13 years old and go to the third class of the Basuera elementary school - one of the twelve schools that work with the JRS. Many girls their age are already pregnant and have broken off school. These three have other plans. At all JRS partner schools there are peace clubs: committed children and adolescents organize sporting events or garbage collections and talk about tolerance, non-violent conflict resolution and the equal handling of people who have handicaps.
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