Students at of Juba Diocesan Modern School have vowed to be peace ambassadors among their community.
The students spoke during the launch of Hadia club on Thursday designed by Children’s Initiative for Learning and Development or ‘the CHILD’.
Some students say the continued fighting in South Sudan has affected their academic performance and that makes them worried about the future of this country.
17 year old Martha Chau, a senior four student says she decided to join Hadia club so she can be a peace ambassador in her school and community.
Chau says she lost her father –who was a police man Рin 2013 during the war in Nimule, and she has not been happy after her father died.
She hopes Hadia club will help her live in peace with her fellow students from other part of the country.
‘Let me not hate the rest. The tribe which [has] caused the lost in our family let’s unite together for the development of this country. The Lord is the one who is always sending peace to our hearts then the Lord will give them the strength to make the country all united so that peace will be here in this country’ Chau says
Chau and dozens of other Hadia club members will be engaged in producing songs on peace, drama, poetry and other constructive debates on peace education.
Another 17 year old, Alonai Alfred of senior (3) narrates how he was caught up in school during July’s 2016 incident in Juba.
‘I was running mad I don’t know what was happening. So, we went through that parliamentary road; the J 1 [presidential palace] someone was shot just behind me leaving me in front. First I did not fear rushing for my live I went and left the person.’ He explains.
Busiri Julius Borsuk, the Research Manager of CHILD organization says the NGO aims at strengthening young generation to be responsible citizens. But to do this; he says leaders must invest in educating children.
‘Every week we have a club session in the school and then when we leave the students they sit in their smaller groups of ten to twelve students, then they discussed further based activities in the activity book. Juluis says. The activity book has a total of seventy activities aimed at making the students understand the comic book better, understand their lives better and understand the lesson that we put forward in the program’.
Julius says the organization has developed club activity book and comic book to help students learn about conflict resolution and how to built peace in their communities.
The CHILD program was funded and launched by Switzerland Cooperation office in Juba.