International Save the Children Alliance
Sarah, Southern Sudan
Sarah's Story
Sarah lives with her mother and younger sister close to the village of Mahdol
They live in a tukal (a one room hut with mud walls and a straw roof) Her father and elder brother went to fight in the war and have yet to return home. The nearest water point is an hour-and-a-half walk towards Malual Kon and was constructed by Save the Children.
“When I was younger all we knew was war – that was our education,” says Sarah. “The boys, they went to fight. The girls, we tried to look after the fighters and our homes. It was very difficult with bombers flying over, which caused us to flee to the bush. After the ceasefire Save the Children helped to establish schools in our area and trained teachers.”
DownloadSarah now goes to Mahdol School, in Northern Bhar El Gazal. “At first I thought school was just for the boys but they trained up women teachers and helped gain acceptance of educating girls. We are still often seen as a bank – an investment to be cashed in for a dowry of cattle when times are hard, but at least now it has become acceptable to educate us.”
Other Children's Stories:
Pindi (Angola) » Sarah (Southern Sudan) » Henang (Nepal) » Omar (Sudan) » Sifa (DRC) » John (Uganda ) » Mirwais (Afghanistan) »