Lack of Financial Support makes us to dropout of schools, South Sudanese Refugees Students in Uganda says
A number of South Sudanese female refugee students who are currently living in the Ugandan settlement have attributed their dropout from schools due to lack of financial support owing to the fact that they are just vulnerable refugees who only depend on the UN food ratio.
Marcy Ajok a 20-years old South Sudanese refugees living in Odobu 1 cluster Rhino camp refugees settlement in Madi Okollo District told Juba Monitor that she was compelled to abandon her studies due to lack of school fees as she could not afford to continue after completing her senior four.
“It was not my intension to stop in senior four, circumstances could not allow me to continue. I however hope to continue when I gets support,” she explained adding that she was under the scholarship by Windly Trust International that supported her for three years. Unfortunately they stopped and her mother struggled to pay for her to complete senior four.
“I would like to proceed with my studies to A-Level, however no help is forthcoming, she said adding that life was better for her when she was in school but since she is now at home she is just idling as there is nothing she can do.
Marcy has tried applying to NGOs and other UN partners to support the young girls financially so that they can go to school but unfortunately nothing has materialised yet.
While she advised her fellow young girls to stay away from early marriages, she urged the public to support girl child education in the community as she feels that many parents are not concerned with the educating of their daughters.
Nyal Chol, a 16-year-old South Sudanese refugee studying in Odobu II Primary School said that being in school is very important to her as she gets to learn a lot of things. She therefore implore parents not to give in their daughters for marriage at young age but rath
er explore ways to keep them in schools.
Another South Sudanese refugee student, Tabitha Apa Jok who is 19 years old said that she dropped out of school when the person who was paying for her education fell sick and could not afford to pay her school fees anymore.
Tabitha expressed that life is very difficult for her since she is not at school as staying at home comes with other challenges especially from peer pressure.
‘’It could be better if the young girls could be allowed to just go to school and study up to whichever level they so wished,” she expressed adding many girls who drop out of school as a result of lack of school fees often end up getting married at very early ages or get pregnant and become mothers at very tender ages.
By Gaaniko Samson Jerry
