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There is no shortage of children in South Sudan; young girls and boys who will one day lead their country and, together with their peers across the continent, all of Africa to a bright future. For this compelling reason, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) took the opportunity to celebrate the Day of the African Child in several locations on June 16.
This year, under the theme ‘The rights of the child in the digital environment’, the peace mission’s Radio Miraya station continued its tradition of marking the day by inviting 16 students aged 13 to 18 from three schools to to take over the airwaves for the day.
Sixteen-year-old Josephine Nyagoa Biel was one of the lucky few. Included in her entry was a round-trip UNMISS flight all the way to Juba from her home in Bentiu and back – but only after enjoying a weekend in the capital. However, it was her experience in a radio studio more than any big city glamor that filled her with awe.
“I never imagined that one day I would be live on Radio Miraya FM talking about the challenges of growing up far away from Juba and at the same time the hope we have for a better South Sudan,” said Josephine, who also attends answering questions from listeners that come in as your average duck goes into the water.
In fact, so enchanted with the excitement she was that Josephine believes she has found her future calling.
“The moment we went live, I realized who I want to be when I grow up. I want to be able to speak up for girls who don’t go to school and who are forced to get married at a very young age.”
Some of her thousands of listeners were more glued to their radio than others. None other than Nyindiang Doup Choul, headmaster of Josephine’s future alma mater, Liech Primary School in Bentiu.
“Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve heard of the Day of the African Child being celebrated. Today our Nyagoa (Josephine) makes us all proud, and from now on we will make sure that we find appropriate ways to commemorate this day every year,” he said.
And so many listeners of Radio Miraya will believe. They kept calling the station all day long from all over the country, asking for more of the same.
“Their response was quite a bit. We’ve even received multiple requests to have kids on the air on a regular basis, with some also suggesting that we pair our staff presenters with boys and girls during school holidays,” Patricia Okoed, the UNMISS radio producer responsible for the happening, revealed.
In Torit, too, the demand for more attention, participation and opportunities far exceeded the supply. In the capital of East Equatorial, UN volunteers joined forces and won hearts by celebrating the Day of the African Child with a visit to the Hope for South Sudan Orphanage School.
As part of their voluntary social responsibility initiative, they organized sports activities, outdoor games, a quiz on the peace mission’s mandate and a session on the importance of personal hygiene. Before leaving the happy children and grateful staff, and to ensure the impact of the day will be long term, the UN volunteers handed over an assortment of cereals and fruit trees planted at the site.
Schools and their students also took center stage in Wau, as the peace mission’s child protection unit there emphasized the strength and rights of African, and indeed all others, children.
A city-wide clean-up campaign, with a special focus on areas adjacent to learning facilities, was brightened up with theater and music performances, a tug of war and sports activities. The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) contributed by providing students with a potentially life-saving mine awareness session.
While not lifesaving in itself, learning opportunities are both crucial and central to the Day of the African Child. The day was established in 1991 by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity to honor the memory of a student uprising that took place in Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976. One of the issues they fought for was appropriate education for everyone.
Forty-seven years later, the protestors in Soweto would no doubt have agreed with Patricia Okoed’s assessment of the impact of transmitting Radio Miraya to children for a day.
“Listening to the children’s experiences of varying degrees of hardship, talking candidly about their right to go to school, their daily lives and challenges, not to mention everything they want and hope for, was a real eye-opener for both listeners of all ages and these amazing kids themselves. I couldn’t have been more proud of them,” said the seasoned producer and UNMISS employee.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
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