Many have been asking the big question: What were you doing in Uganda back in January? I can finally publicly say that, during that time, my friend and colleague, Sudan Warchild, and I managed to put 5 children from a refugee camp into school in Kampala, Uganda!
The entire mission began as a way to give back. My family had humble beginnings in a refugee camp in Adjumani decades ago after fleeing the civil war that destroyed our village, Kaya (South Sudan) and killed hundreds of thousands of people and displacing over a million more. We received what I refer to as ‘the golden ticket’ to relocate to Canada. While in Canada, we were given 2 massive gifts: education and the freedom to pursue our dreams. This is something that millions of children in war torn countries like South Sudan do not have access to, many of which still remain in Adjumani and other refugee camps within and around South Sudan. Without access to education and opportunities, many children become child soldiers or are forced to marry so their families can receive a dowry, often cutting their lives and futures short.
While in South Sudan in November, I met Sudan Warchild, a former refugee studying in Juba. He shared his experiences of seeing his father be horrifically killed and then fleeing to refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda when the war broke out. We partnered together to begin the mission of getting as many kids into school as possible, knowing that the best way to keep children out of war and into a positive future is to get an education.
We selected 5 incredible children, each with harrowing stories of survival and resilience:
Nyalel, 15, whose father was a soldier that has still not been accounted for and is believed to have perished in the battle. Food insecurity and lack of finances has created a tough environment for both her and her mother. She is full of confidence, loves to read and is kind and nurturing. The moment she walked into the school, we could tell she is a born leader. She hopes to be a doctor in the future.
Juoi, 12, is an amputee. His village was raided when he was 2 years old. His parents, along with many other people in the village, ran into the river where bullets were later sprayed. HIs parents did not survive. He received a bullet to his leg and his leg was hastily amputated. Despite this, Juoi has a smile that could melt anyone’s heart and he speaks fluent Arabic (even correcting me at times)! He has never been to school before and looks forward to discovering what he’d like to do in the future.
Tongol, 15, shares a similar background with Nyalel. Extreme poverty has kept him out of school. He is very reserved when you first meet him and does not share much, but in the short time that we had spent with him, we could see that he was more optimistic about his future. The day that he arrived at the school was the happiest we had seen him!
Gatmai, 17, wants to be a pilot in the future. Without any money, there wasn’t a way for him to continue his education so he had to leave school. He is very eager and determined to get his education. Getting into school and not having to worry about finding food and surviving has given him great ease and he can now focus purely on advancing in his studies.
Khan, 16, stands at an impressive 6’5”! Unfortunately, a village attack had left him orphaned when he was 2 years old. He survived by staying close to other people, which helped him develop his super power - languages! He can greet you in over 7 different languages from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. He is also an avid basketball fan and would love to play in the NBA.
We faced so many challenges during the process of getting the children in school. Some of the biggest challenges were:
The Education Gap: Because the children had either never attended school or had only attended a few terms in the past, they were not up to speed for their class level. Add 2 years of school shutdowns due to Covid and suddenly, we found ourselves having to put the kids in lower classes as they were too far behind. For example, Khan had never been to school before, yet at his height, there was no way they could put him in P1 (which would be the equivalent of Kindergarten in the Western world). Fortunately, we found a school that could accommodate him.
The Refugee Camps: Nothing can prepare you for seeing a refugee camp. I don’t even know how to describe the situation in the camps. To put it in a simple way, poverty and trauma have led to unbearable conditions. We spent hours sitting down and listening to the stories of people in the refugee camp, each story just lacerated my mind. People there are absolutely resilient despite what they have seen.
Medical Emergencies: While getting the kids ready for school, Juoi got extremely sick and had to be taken to hospital. It turned out to be malaria. Since we were all already at the hospital, Sudan and I decided to get all the kids checked up in case they also had malaria. By the end of the hospital trip, 4 out of 5 of the children and Sudan were found to have malaria! We also found out that many of the children had other ailments, including Khan’s broken arm from 2 years ago that was not treated due to lack of finances.
Culture Shock: While I was learning how to use a latrine, the children were learning how to use the toilet and sink in the hotel. We all had to learn how to move in a busy city like Kampala. Breakfast at the hotel was heartbreaking as the kids told us they had never seen so much food before and were shy to take the food that they wanted or tell us that they were hungry. It was also incredibly difficult to do school shopping in the markets as I was advised not to speak so that the price wouldn’t be jacked up because of my accent. This made the cost of school supplies so expensive!
Regardless of all the challenges, we were able to successfully enrol all 5 kids in to school! This would not be possible without the full commitment of Sudan Warchild and all of you who have supported by purchasing necklaces from the Dreams Collection and donating to the cause!
Each child is enrolled in boarding school in Kampala and school fees range from 300-400 USD per term. The funds raised will help continue their education and make way to enrol more children from IDP Refugee Camp in Juba, South Sudan.
How can you be a part of their future? Our vision is to continue supporting these 5 kids and enroll more children into school. It takes a community to educate a child and your contribution will be greatly appreciated!
3. Write a letter to the children:
PO Box 72574
Toronto, ON M4W 3S9
Canada
Thank you for all your kind support!
x0x. Amanie & Sudan
