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The cash is working wonders, restoring hope for people who have seen hopeless situations.

It was a moment of elation. The eight years of living as an outsider in another country were over. Goodbye crowded quarters. So long food rations. Farewell endless queues to access water.

Ben and his wife Beatrice were forced to flee Juba, the capital of South Sudan, with their six children when fighting broke out last year. They now live in the Imvepi refugee settlement in northern Uganda, alongside 125,000 other South Sudanese refugees.

In northern Uganda, the concept of family is being redefined. South Sudanese children who have escaped conflict have arrived as refugees, often alone and without the accompaniment of an adult. 

Just 16 years old, Eva* is three months pregnant. Still a child, she should be going to school, playing with friends and without a care in the world. 

He escaped to Uganda from South Sudan with his mother and five siblings. At 18, Lucky Jackson became a breadwinner when his father died during an attack by armed men.

“My aunt and I walked for seven days and along the road we saw blood and dead bodies,” says 12-year-old Blessing who is living as a refugee in northern Uganda. 

At 16-years-old, Viola is a wife and mother. The conflict in South Sudan has forced her to grow up far too quickly. 

Twelve-year-old John is determined to become his country’s president one day. He reproduced a painting of a boy seemingly looking toward a brighter future by French street artist Seth. 

16-year-old Lina produced a self-portrait in the style of Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier’s ‘Fragile heroes’ series. 16-year-old Lina produced a self-portrait in the style of Canadian artist Sandra Chevrier’s ‘Fragile heroes’ series.

Ayman waved his parents goodbye as the small boat left the shore and started floating down the river. Sitting on a wooden bench with his two younger brothers and younger sister, he wondered if he’d ever return.

The sound of the guns pierced through the pitch-black quiet of the South Sudanese night. Mary wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but she was terrified. South Sudan’s conflict had arrived in her village and the rebels were taking over. Screams, shots, and people running in all directions interrupted the eight-year-old girl’s sleep. It was chaos. As the rebels made their way through the village, killing everyone they came across, Mary and her family managed to flee, leaving all of their belongings behind. This is her story.

According to the Global Hunger Index, one in three children under five is stunted, meaning they haven’t received the right food for a long time and are too short for their age. Almost one in four children under-five is wasted, meaning they don’t weigh enough for their height.

For some time aid agencies and donors have recognised the benefits of utilising markets to deliver food assistance. And for almost as long, cash-based programming has been effective in doing this by improving people’s ability to purchase sufficient nutritious food

World Vision’s Melany Markham talks openly about her experiences in South Sudan and how she longed to tell the stories of those caught up in the terrible conflict. 

In war-torn South Sudan, eleven-year-old Nyahok is one of the lucky ones. Unlike 85% of girls across the country, Nyahok goes to school.

In South Sudan, thousands of children have had to flee conflict and war. Read about how 15-year-old Deng found friendship and safety while also keeping his dreams alive despite immeasurable loss.

One week after South Sudan celebrated four years of independence, the mood in Juba is subdued. The tension that was present on the streets only days before has all but disappeared and it’s hard to believe that a war is raging throughout the country.

Since the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan in late 2013 an estimated 400,000 children have been unable to continue their education and subsequently forced to drop out. This is the story of one of these children.
 

Our team recently travelled to South Sudan, where they met a family of four siblings, orphaned and displaced by war. Read their story.

Chok, 11, from northern South Sudan, recently returned to school since being displaced with his family by civil war. He is among the top students in his class.