Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 334

I visited the Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC) Center in...

I visited the Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC) Center in Juba, a place where displaced children in South Sudan are given shelter, an education, affection, and a second chance. I was greeted by Cathy, the center’s director. She was very kind, but also a bit nervous about my presence. She’d been briefed about my interview process. “We can talk about happy moments,” she said. “But let’s not ask these children about their saddest moments, or times they felt afraid. Many of them were malnourished, abandoned, or regularly sexually abused. Some of them have witnessed extreme violence. When journalists ask them to relive these memories, it can set them back for an entire month. They begin to act out. Often their trauma is so bad, that when the children first arrive, they can be very hateful toward me. But I feel blessed by the hate. Because I know it’s part of the healing process. And if they need someone to hate so that they can heal, I’m glad it can be me.”

A few minutes after this conversation, a young girl walked up to Cathy, gave her a hug, and ran away. Cathy seemed quite moved. “That girl was very badly abused,” she said. “She’s been here for months. And that’s the first time she’s ever hugged me.”

(Juba, South Sudan)

"What’s your biggest goal in life?""I haven’t...

"What’s your biggest goal in life?"
"I haven’t figured that out yet."

(Juba, South Sudan)

"I want to build myself a house like Obama’s house."(Juba,...

"I want to build myself a house like Obama’s house."

(Juba, South Sudan)

"He likes bright things."(Juba, South Sudan)

"He likes bright things."

(Juba, South Sudan)

"I’m not a politician. All I can do is to pray the bad...

"I’m not a politician. All I can do is to pray the bad things move away from us."

(Juba, South Sudan)

"It’s tough to be a journalist in this country. I’ve...

"It’s tough to be a journalist in this country. I’ve been arrested four times. It’s very difficult to get information. Government institutions are forbidden to talk to you. Ordinary people are extremely suspicious, because they think you might be security services. But it’s very important work. People need to know where the oil money is going, who’s benefiting from the contract, where the proceeds are being used. The ordinary person doesn’t know, and has never before needed to know. For decades, people have been conditioned to the idea that only government officials can make decisions on their behalf. It will take some time for the country to learn individual responsibility. It will take time and education to teach ourselves. But I believe that education is like cleaning yourself. And I think if you come back in fifteen or twenty years, this will be a very different country. With education, the spirit of being hostile will vanish.”

(Juba, South Sudan)

"When the fighting started, we ran and hid in a school. But...

"When the fighting started, we ran and hid in a school. But soon, they pulled up a car with a large machine gun mounted on the back. They began to fire through the walls. My children and I ran in different directions. I ran into the bush and cried for four days because I was sure they were dead. But when I finally made it here, I found them here too."

(Tongping Internally Displaced Persons Site, Juba, South Sudan)

"What’s your largest goal in life?""To find my children....

"What’s your largest goal in life?"
"To find my children. They are five and seven. I told them I was taking a short trip to Juba, and I’d be back in a couple days, but then I got stranded by the fighting. They were crying so loud about my leaving, I had to sneak away while one was playing and one was sleeping. That was almost a year ago. I haven’t even been able to hear how they are doing."

(Tongping Internally Displaced Persons Site, Juba, South Sudan)

"After we were rescued, I ended up studying in Kenya. I...

"After we were rescued, I ended up studying in Kenya. I joined UNICEF and began to work in child services. My goal was to never let anything happen to children that happened to me. When the most recent fighting broke out in South Sudan, I was in Lebanon working with displaced Syrian children. I was helping to conduct psychological assessments and provide trauma counseling. I was on Facebook one night when I saw my newsfeed fill up with reports of fighting. I called all my friends and family, and told them: ‘The fighting is between military men, stay in your homes.’ Then I started seeing reports that the fighting was turning ethnic. So I called everyone back, and said: “Find the nearest UN compound and take shelter.” A few days later, I requested to be transferred to UNICEF South Sudan, because I knew I was needed at home.”

(Tongping Internally Displaced Persons Site, Juba, South Sudan)

She said she wanted to be a pilot, and when I asked why, she...

She said she wanted to be a pilot, and when I asked why, she spoke two words. My translator said: “She says, something like: ‘I want to be able to control myself in the air.’”
"But what exactly did she say?" I asked.
“‘Kuar Nhial,’ he answered. ‘It means: ‘I’ll be the leader of the air.’”

(Tongping Internally Displaced Persons Site, Juba, South Sudan)