Juba, South Sudan – For the second consecutive year, schools across South Sudan have been forced to close due to a severe heatwave, putting the education and well-being of thousands of children at risk.
The government ordered the closure of schools for at least two weeks as temperatures are expected to soar to 42 degrees Celsius next week. The decision comes after an average of 12 students were reported to be collapsing daily in Juba city due to the extreme heat.
Save the Children has warned that the prolonged closure of schools will exacerbate the existing child rights crisis in South Sudan, where children are already vulnerable to early marriage, child labor, and recruitment into armed groups.
“Dangerous heat like this is catastrophic for children’s physical and mental health,” said Christopher Nyamandi, Country Director for Save the Children in South Sudan. “Shutting the door to the classroom often means shutting the door to a stable and healthy future.”
South Sudan already has one of the highest rates of out-of-school children in the world. The organization has called for global recognition that the climate crisis is a child rights crisis, requiring an urgent response that centers children’s rights, lives, and well-being.
Save the Children has been working in South Sudan since 1991, providing children with access to education, healthcare, and nutritional support, as well as families with food security and livelihoods assistance.
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