UNMISS peacekeepers support children’s learning in Khor Malang Rebuilding Their Lives in Khor Malang

WESTERN BAHR EL GHAZAL - For families who have moved from Naivasha, a former camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Wau, to the Khor Malang resettlement site, rebuilding life is not only about having a place to call home. It is also about restoring the daily routines that give children hope and a sense of what many may call a normal life.

One of those routines is school. Children sit in the shade of a tree for their lessons. There are no classrooms and few learning materials to share, yet every morning they come ready to learn.

Among them is eight-year-old Nimar Jelamadine, a girl whose ambitions reach far beyond her current circumstances.

“I want to be President so that I can help my mother and father reduce suffering,” she said when asked about her ambitions in life.

Her words carry the hope of many formerly displaced children here: to keep learning and to imagine a future where suffering does not define them.

To build community confidence in the resettlement area, Chinese peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) handed over educational materials to support learning as part of a community engagement program.

“We believe our presence should bring practical support to the communities we serve,” said Liu Guoliang, a Chinese Blue Helmet.

“By providing these school materials, we hope to encourage children at Khor Malang to continue learning and to know that their education matters.” He added.

For UNMISS, such engagements form part of the Mission's broader efforts to strengthen trust with communities, support conditions for safe and dignified returns, and contribute to protection through regular interaction with local authorities, families and community members.

As communities across South Sudan continue to mark the Day of the African Child this June, children in Khor Malang serve as a reminder that access to education remains one of the strongest foundations for recovery and resilience.

For Nimar, the dream is already clear.

One day, she hopes to lead and help reduce suffering in her family and community. That journey begins beneath the shade of a tree where every lesson learned is another step towards the future she imagines.

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Busang Davies Maruping