JUBA COUNTY – When a devastating storm tore off the roofs at Kapuri Primary School in May last year, it didn’t just threaten the building’s structure but the futures of hundreds of students.
But what began as a disaster has now transformed into an example of resilience and the power of dedicated community action.
As soon as they heard about the incident, Rwandan peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) rushed to the scene and started reconstructing the almost destroyed building.
"When the storm hit, we feared the progress we made over years was lost in a single day," recalls Monday James, Head Teacher of the primary school.
"But UNMISS didn't just repair walls; they gave our teachers and students the confidence to return."
Their history with the primary school students and teachers didn’t begin there. Bonded by over a decade of collaborations, they first connected in 2014 when peacekeepers discovered a group of children trying to pursue their studies in an open space, at the mercy only of surrounding trees protecting them from the sun.
After learning more about the students’ situation and pressing needs, UNMISS facilitated the construction of a permanent school building.
Today, the building has transformed into something more than the initial learning space.
Using the ongoing construction as opportunity, the peacekeepers worked closely with surrounding communities to turn it into what has now become a community hub.
Together, they installed heat-reducing ceilings and a high-capacity solar grid, bringing a reliable electricity source to a neighborhood where this has long been unimaginable. Besides them are new water storage tanks serving not just students, but neighboring families who gather daily to collect clean water.
However, the most innovative intervention grows quietly behind the classrooms: a kitchen garden where students learn to cultivate their own food.
Here, always reminded of their own firsthand experiences of the power of community collaboration, the children are teaching their families and other visitors the agricultural practices they were introduced to by the peacekeepers. Together, they learn about planting cycles, crop care and how to best use different gardening tools to plant the seeds provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which partnered with UNMISS for this purpose.
Particularly in a region where food insecurity remains a persistent threat, the impact of these practices goes beyond skill development as highlighted by Colonel Leo Uwizeyimana, UNMISS Rwanbatt-3 Contingent Commander:
"Our goal wasn't just to fix a roof. It was to empower this community to stand on its own. When we teach a student to maintain a kitchen garden, we're supporting their journey toward self-sufficiency which will serve as foundation for lasting community resilience."
And the seeds are spreading. Today, there are only few parents left that have not used their children’s teachings to replicate farming activities in their own compounds.
The story of the storm that had caused the loss of the roof is now told as one of powerful change, a constant reminder of the power of education and community resilience. That protecting civilians also means enabling them to grow lasting roots to be able to protect themselves.
