SDG 12-Heartbreaking Insight into Life in South Sudan: A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Despair

An Insight into life in South Sudan

South Sudan. We learn a lot about COP28 and sustainability. There are 17 goals called the Sustainable Development goals(SDG in short). But what is goal 12 of it and has it been achieved in low income countries like South Sudan? So I did a bit of research and wrote it in the form of a story. Enjoy Reading!

South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but its people have never progressed since then. Oh hey! I am Abu by the way. I am on my way to school. Actually, I would not call it a school as it is just a building in ruins which is deserted in the monsoon. We have a class of 100 and have only one teacher. As far as I know the most updated thing, we have ever learnt is WWII which shares a very horrendous scenes especially during the Holocaust.  All in all, we have a pretty old and outdated textbook. Yes, you are right textbook and not textbooks like you folks have.

Life is boring and scary when The South Sudanese army starts shooting at poor and innocent refugee from other countries. Personally, I do not know why they come in large numbers because I do not think South Sudan is any better than where they come from. My parents often share harrowing stories of dead bodies on Salam Street near the border. That is also the reason why my septuagenarian grandmother has trauma and often screams during the night. She was quite pale with age and never seemed to enjoy the sense of fun and frolic like us kids.

My dad, a simple man who always wore his taqiyah, works on the field of a rich man who pays him 950 South Sudanese pound each month which does not seem to be enough to make ends meet. Therefore, I sometimes skip school and sell some caps that my mother makes. My mom manages the house, and she does it pretty well.  But today I heard the gloomiest news and times that much.

My grandma was in critical condition. And by the time I reached home, she was gone! We had a doctor who told us it was paratyphoid that had resulted in her death. The atmosphere was dejected, and my dad skipped all his meals in a depressed mood. No matter how much my mom lectured him about the importance of having a meal and how important it was, especially since he was working in a field under the scorching sun. However, it fell on deaf ears.

After the rites were over, we had practically nothing with us after a ridiculously overpriced bill on a glossy paper by the doctor. I mean, all he did was tell us what happened to my poor old, deceased grandmother whose health worsened each day and how on earth we know if what he said is true.

I mean that chap looked quite convincing to be a doctor for my parents but not for me. We were low on money, and we also had to pay debts, so my dad made up his mind to sell the house and move somewhere else that also meant I had to leave my education. So, once we had to sell our house it was only me, my dad, and my mom.

We were ravenous and thirsty just when I saw a stream. We drank from it never did we know it was toxic until we all had diarrhoea the next day. We should have known that all the waterbodies in South Sudan were polluted as they originated from the Nile River, which was highly polluted by heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc. I was especially affected by this because of my thin body which was also highly deficient in protein and carbohydrates. I had lost all my strength and was severely malnourished.

Just then my dad returned with unwelcome news from his workplace where he used to pluck out weeds. For the first time I saw him without his taqiyah which was white like the one I wear. He was sullen as he had lost his job! That meant that my family’s only source of income had also gone down the drain. He was fired just because his employer could not afford to give him his salary.

The economy of Sudan was low and all the natural resources and crops which had gotten burnt by the sun and human factors just caused food waste. My dad was worried about me and what was left of his family. My stomach grumbled as I thought I could eat a whole horse. He set out at once scouring for food when he returned with a very odd-looking snack. It was white in colour and seemed like someone’s bath cap, but it wasn’t that but something more dangerous. My mom tried it and said it was all right, so I took a nibble.

I thought it tasted like plastic (no idea how I knew that coz I never tasted it) and I suddenly choked on it and then I understood. It was real plastic. I felt like I was dying. Nobody could understand what I was telling them, and I started waving my hands like a mad man. The pain was excruciating and the expression on my parents face was vague.  It was just 30 seconds of pain which seemed like an eternity until I SWALLOWED PLASTIC!

My dad was worried about me until he realized that it was best we go to Chad and gain refugee status. Chad was a long walk from South Sudan, so we started the next day. I had a good rest until I started to begin wheezing from the pollution around us that was caused by  waste burning, forest fires, and the heavy use of small gasoline powered generators. Pollutants of major public health concern in South Sudan include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide, mostly originating from local sources such as household combustion, open burning, and diesel generators, though they are not the primary source of air pollution in South Sudan.

We started our long journey under the hot sun. We stopped for a while to perform a namaz to Allah. Since we did not have any mat, we just knelt on the road alongside some fellow travellers. Among them was a scarred yet hopeful-faced boy. I was famished and tired. I just could not bear it anymore. I was confused and light-headed that I just collapsed on the muddy road. And the next thing I knew was that I landed in a centre of ‘Save the Child’ organization.

I was in an infirmary and a person was explaining to my parents that it was a miracle that I was alive. I had suffered from exhaustion and the extent of this was that leave reaching Chad but me surviving the next day was truly unbelievable. My mom was in disbelief and in tears. She said a silent thank you and turned her head towards me. We were in a tent with many people around us who seemed to be in worse condition than me.

I poured my questions into their ears as they explained that they had found a tent nearby with some helpful people who would assist me to be at this stage. They said that there were remnants of plastic in my oesphagus and I had suffered from wheezing as well, so I had to be put under critical care for a few weeks until I was alright. My lungs were contaminated with pollution that was quite common in South Sudan. My parents began to become pale and therefore were also under the supervision of the Save The Child organization who had happily let us reside at camp with the rest of the refugees.

I cannot express my gratitude to the organization in words. My future seems to be uncertain, but you can help me out- by following a sustainable lifestyle and responsibly consume and produce.

This is just an insight of life in South Sudan. Millions of people in South Sudan are affected by global warming, pollution, and consumption of toxic waste. An aggregate of 6 million Sudanese people die every year because of the effects of global warming and irresponsible consumption and production. We need your help in our mission for a better future. Responsibly consume not only food but also plastic.

There are many people who hardly have a nibble each day and often plastic gets mistaken for food. Avoid impulsive buying and everytime you think of purchasing anything always try and be mindful of how the product was made and whether it will be of any use to you. Innocent people lose their loved ones because of these pressing issues as responsible consumption and production is just as unfamiliar to us as Sudan’s situation is too, to most of you. Together we can combat these pressing issues by leading a sustainable lifestyle. 

Credits:

Cover image- https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com

Inside images- www.wikipedia.com

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