BENTIU, UNITY STATE – “I told my son that if he continued down the same path, he would be dead within the next year.”
Sixty-three-year-old James Kuol sits on a narrow wood-framed string-mattress-bed next to his wife Rhoda, running a hand over his gaunt, leathery face as he shakes his head at the memory.
“The kids were going crazy - beating and robbing innocent people in the camp to buy their drugs - and the police were raiding our homes so often, it was traumatizing.”
Many youngsters in the Bentiu camp, which provides a refuge for more than 110,000 displaced people, are extremely vulnerable due to years of essentially being homeless, suffering from grinding poverty and experiencing limited economic opportunities.
It’s not surprising that the wave of easily available and cheap synthetic drugs and opioids is alluring, as addicted youth join gangs for protection and to help feed their habits.
Their eldest son, Ran Khol, was one of them.
“As a mother, you expect your grown up child to help you, but instead my son was taking drugs. I was depressed and got sick, worrying for him and for us,” says Rhoda.
She spends her day collecting driftwood in the floodwaters that surround Bentiu. Drying it and selling it as firewood is her only source of income.
Unable to bear the burden any longer, James reached out to other fathers.
“I spoke to some of the men of my age, and it seemed that they all had a similar story. Most of our children were involved – and we realized that we had to do something about it, so we took it up with the community high committee in the camp,” says James.
The committee reached out to government authorities and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.
According to Elizabeth Nyayien Gatwech Pur, an UNMISS Protection, Reintegration and Transition Officer, the problem isn’t just one of law enforcement and punishment.
Without an alternative pathway for the youth, deterrence alone would not work.
So alongside increased vigilance and accountability measures, initiatives dedicated to tackling this challenge were established by UNMISS, the community, and the Vision Youth Group.
“These initiatives support youth platforms that counsel troubled youth and promote confidence-building measures by working closely with them, mentoring them, and helping them realize that there are viable alternatives to gang life and drugs,” says Elizabeth.
Today, in the tiny hut, Ran Khol sits beside his parents. He speaks with remorse about what he put them through. He is off drugs and wants to complete his last year of high school.
“Our parents have done so much for us, and we are their only hope. It is our duty to take care of them,” says Ran.
He stands up to embrace his mother and father, who gaze at him with love. He is their child, their eldest boy, and they have high hopes for him.
“We already live in a camp for displaced families,” says James. “We do not want to lose our children too.”
Ran’s parents know the road ahead will not be easy. But today, their son is sitting beside them, drug-free, talking about his future, and determined to secure a better life.
For James and Rhoda, that is enough to hope.
By Robin Giri
