The new girls' building at the Muhaba Children's Center in Renk was officially opened in November 2023. Thanks to the dormitories, schoolgirls are spared the dangerous journey to school
On April 13, 2023, 19 of the 20 girls were able to spend the night in the dormitories for the first time. The new building has now been inaugurated in the presence of the country coordinator Florence Hakim and the program manager Dorina Waldmeyer.
The opening of the girls' house means that the girls who have been admitted to the children's center since 2018 can also live on the premises. This will save them the long and often dangerous journey home that they previously had to make every day.
The new girls' building can now accommodate 20 schoolgirls out of a total of 56 children at the children's center. The building comprises four dormitories, a study room for the older girls, two classrooms, a recreation room and a dining room. Outside there are showers and toilets, an outdoor kitchen and a brick-built storeroom. Ten minutes away is the former children's center, where the boys live and are taught.
Education for the children in Renk - not a matter of course
The Muhaba Children's Center takes in children who would otherwise not receive an education. Education is not a matter of course for children in South Sudan, with around 70 percent of them not attending school. Boys are at risk of being used as child soldiers, while girls are often married off at an early age.
The children's center not only offers the children the opportunity to receive an education, but is also intended to be a safe haven for them; they receive psychosocial support when needed as well as a comprehensive education so that they can lead a self-determined life.
Precarious situation at the border
But the children's center is located in a troubled area. Due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, hundreds of refugees and returnees cross the border from Sudan into South Sudan every day, which is only 20 kilometers away from the children's center. Inflation and flooding make the situation in the refugee camps particularly precarious. The Muhaba Children's Center is also affected by this insecurity. Food and materials that used to be delivered from Sudan are now no longer available.
Mission 21 relies on donations to continue to provide education and accommodation for the children. Thank you very much for your support for the pupils of the Muhaba Children's Center.
►  More about the Education for the Future project: schools and children's center
