Education would not seem an obvious casualty of climate change. But in South Sudan, children are at the receiving end of a chain reaction that is putting their schooling – and their future – in jeopardy.
In this corner of South Sudan, climate change has sparked a series of devastating floods, which have wrecked homes and ruined crops. They have also closed the local school.
“We used to attend our classes under the trees. When the flood took over the school, we were forced to do our tests early and we were all sent home,” says 12-year-old Jok*. “I was not happy because we did not complete our syllabus. We were just forced to close because of the flood.”
Even before the school closed, the floods were having an impact on Jok’s ability to do well in the classroom. “At some points we’ve felt so hungry,” he says. “I used to go to school even though I used to have low concentration.
“[Hunger] could even prevent us from going to play some games, because you cannot go to play with an empty stomach.
“The only thing one can do is just to be strong.”
To tackle this growing crisis, we’re providing families like Jok’s with cash transfers to buy food, and diagnosing and treating children with severe acute malnutrition. Jok attends a child-friendly space we set up in his community, where children can laugh, play and learn.
We use to attend our classes under the trees. When the flood took over the school, we were forced to do our tests early and we were all sent home.
