Majak’s Story – Save the Children
“Majak* was 150 km from his hometown when fighting struck South Sudan. He didn’t know if his family was alive. Save the Children staff reunited Majak with his children.”
MAJAK’S STORY: When the crisis hit I was in Juba for a cousin’s wedding. The fighting started at 11pm and we stayed indoors for three days. Men were walking in the streets firing machine guns. Bullets flew through the windows into our building. We lay under the beds to hide.
After three days it was safe to leave. When we came out there were dead bodies in the streets, and I heard that there had also been fighting in my home town.
I was so scared thinking of my children. I had no phone and no way to contact them. I was losing my senses in this time. During previous fighting in 1991, five of my children were killed. I could not bear it to happen again.
When I got to Nimule I didn’t know what to do. Then I heard Save the Children were looking for children who were alone, and asking people if they had lost their children. There were announcements, and people in red uniforms going around the streets and churches where people had gathered. So I told them about my children and they said they would try to find them.
In Nimule I couldn’t eat or sleep. I could only think about my children.
When I heard my children were OK I was totally, extremely happy. The Save the Children staff came to where I was staying. They told me my children were here in Awerial and asked me how best to reunite us. I thought the quickest way for me to see them would be to come here so I said wanted to come here as soon as possible!
Once I was on my way to my children it was the first time I could eat again.
When we saw each other again we all cried with happiness. I had thought I was ready to meet my children. I thought I was calm but when it happened I couldn’t control my happiness.
Thank God and Save the Children for finding my children.
The soap and buckets are so helpful because we need them but we have no money to buy them. Now I am worried that they won’t get the education they need for their futures.
*Name has been changed to protect identity.
