Several South Sudanese activists residing in Sudan have launched a campaign dubbed “I am a refugee, don't leave us without education,” to collect in-kind and financial donations to support the education of South Sudanese refugee children in Sudan.
According to the United Nations, more than 65 percent of refugees from South Sudan are under the age of 18, including 66,000 children who have been separated from their parents or guardians.
The campaign was launched in the presence of representatives of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, social and educational activists, and humanitarian workers in Khartoum.
Anwar Yel, one of the campaign founders told Radio Tamazuj that the campaign is a humanitarian appeal aimed at highlighting the problem of education facing South Sudanese children in Sudan.
In his speech, Yel indicated that the campaign aims, "To collect brochures, pens, books, school uniforms and build classrooms." He said the first phase of the campaign targets about nine children from all refugee camps in Khartoum.
He appealed to humanitarian organizations, activists, and well-wishers from all walks of life to support the initiative and grant refugee children the right to education.
Another activist, Zakaria Nimir, told Radio Tamazuj that the initiative is timely as it comes in the backdrop of deteriorating educational services in the camps in recent years.
He is optimistic the campaign will enhance the protection of refugee children from the risk of early marriage, child labor, and sexual exploitation, as the country experiences deteriorating economic conditions.
"Many refugee children and youth suffer from psychological problems because they are not in school and the campaign will contribute to strengthening the role of society in self-reliance," Nimir said.
According to the United Nations, the number of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan is estimated at 860,000, but the Sudanese government, in its latest report, said that the number exceeded 2 million refugees displaced by the war in 2013.
Last March, the UNCHR and its partners launched an appeal for $ 1.2 billion to provide vital humanitarian assistance to more than 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees in 2021 seeking refuge in five neighboring countries.