A space to heal, learn, and play: War Child is providing children displaced by conflict the in Sudan with access to education, protection and psychosocial support

The conflict in Sudan has triggered one of the world’s biggest displacement crises, spilling over into South Sudan. As of March 2025, more than 1.2 million people – over half of them children – have crossed the border into South Sudan to escape violence in Sudan.

People arriving after the journey are exhausted, traumatised, and often have nothing but the clothes on their backs. They are desperately in need of food, water, shelter, medical care, and protection, especially children who have endured violence, separation, and extreme stress.

Renk – a small town in Upper Nile, South Sudan is hosting many of these displaced families and children. The town has been overwhelmed by the number of refugees and returnees arriving, with nowhere else to go. Over 12,000 people are currently living there, despite the site being built to house only 3,000.

As protection systems in Renk buckle under pressure, children are increasingly being put at risk. Child labour and resorting to begging, rising crime, gender-based violence, and attacks after dark are becoming more common, as overcrowding and desperation force families to rely on negative coping strategies to survive.

War Child is on the ground

War Child is one of the key international NGOs still operating in Renk, delivering life-saving child protection, education and mental health support to children in need.

As one of the first agencies to respond to the crisis in 2023, we have reached over 21,000 people this year alone. This number includes 9,800 children through our Child Friendly Spaces and over 5,700 children through focused psychosocial support activities.

As part of a new education project funded by the Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission (GOAC), we are also working to increase enrolment numbers and improve education outcomes for returnees, refugees, and host community children in Renk.

To provide children with safe spaces for learning, we will renovate two Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs) in two schools in Renk, provide PTA members at the schools with training on their roles and responsibilities, and distribute Teacher Learning Materials to ensure teachers have the tools they need to be great educators.

To encourage enrolment, we will conduct mobilisation and sensitisation sessions in the open air, including household visits, to remind families of the importance of education.

Child protection messages will be embedded into all school programmes, to foster a safe learning environment for all students in the community.

Children and young people are finding space to heal and laugh 

Mureena (18) has been living at the Renk Transit Centre since July 2024, staying with her younger brother (16 years old) while her parents remain in Sudan.

She visits the centre’s Child Friendly Space (CFS) every day.

“It supports us a lot by being here… We come here and forget about our traumas. This is why we like it here.”

“It is very hard to live here. I used to be scared about what might happen in the night. But the activities here (at the CFS) are helping (me) to forget.”

Mureena cannot currently go to school because there is no money to pay the fees. She was last enrolled in Sudan in class 7. She dreams of making a living for herself and reuniting with her parents.

“I used to have some small jobs but sometimes they go. There is a lack of job opportunities”

“In the future, I would like to study and then go back to my parents.

Tamaya (15) has been living at the centre for two months after leaving Khartoum with her mother and brothers. Her father is still in Sudan.

“Here is secure and safe. We fled to here.”

Tamaya found out about the CFS through her friends.

“My friends told me about a place of enjoyments. It is better to be here than stay at home…. I come here every day.”

“I like dancing and laughing with people here. It makes me feel happy.”

Her dream is to be able to return to education and pursue a career in engineering.

“My hope for the future is University and to be an engineer. We need to complete our studied. Education…let all the children go back to school.”

Scaling up our response

Despite funding and access constraints, we are scaling up our response, adapting our services to meet urgent and growing needs. With flexible emergency funding from our Children’s Emergency Fund and new critical grants, we are expanding support for the most at-risk children, caregivers and households in South Sudan.

Working closely with the community and partners, we are continuing to lead the coordination of child protection and education efforts in Renk. As well as opening Child Friendly Spaces, War Child has helped establish and train 20 Child Protection Committees to strengthen community-led protection for children and families at risk.

We are preparing now for the next wave of challenges, including severe flooding and continued displacement. Expected and already occurring floods will further exacerbate the already desperate situation in Upper Nile and broader South Sudan.

Our team and partners are developing a revised response plan to support relocated communities with education, protection and mental health support, and is exploring options for cash assistance and longer-term sustainability.

We will never stop working to protect children impacted by conflict.