Promise on Paper: Why South Sudan’s peace deal fails to protect children

Christine was 17 when she stood among a group of 22 children released from the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces in the village of Rimenze, about 30 kilometres from Yambio, in Western Equatoria State. Christine is not her real name. For years, her life had revolved around survival rather than childhood. Recruited as a child, […]
Tramadol’s deadly comfort: Inside the drug epidemic swallowing youth

Nelson Mandela (not his real name) holds the handlebars of his boda boda, his eyes focused but distant. At 26, he is one of many young men in Juba battling not just the brutal competition of the city’s transport sector, but a growing addiction to Tramadol. For Nelson, the drug isn’t merely about getting high, […]
Beyond the frontlines: How women leading peacebuilding in South Sudan through storytelling

By Keji Janefer Mama Dar Al-Salam Ahmed sits inside a bamboo hall in Block 2, Gurei North, where women gather to unburden themselves and rebuild their lives through storytelling. In South Sudan, peace is often debated in political halls, yet some of the country’s most effective peacebuilders work far from these spaces. They are women […]