South Sudan: organisations work with vulnerable communities to combat high rates of child marriage

South Sudan has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world: more than half of young women in South Sudan were married before the age of 18. South Sudanese children face enormous challenges to realise their rights, mainly as a result of decades of conflict and instability. As well as the high rate of child marriage, three in five children in South Sudan are not in school.

Street Beats Foundation, a youth-led organisation dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable children, youth and the communities in South Sudan, organised a community engagement programme and campaign against child marriage in Terekeka county (main image).

The Mundari community practises child marriage, and children grow up knowing they are going to be married early - girls can be betrothed at just 5 years old. Street Beats Foundation visited the community as part of the campaign, and mobilised a group of students, community leaders, the women's union, youth representatives, and community members. Importantly, they engaged with government representatives from the Office of the Commissioner of the education department of Terekeka. In total, more than 100 people took part in their outreach activities.

Following a community event, the Commissioner contacted the team at Street Beats Foundation and requested to partner with them in 2025. The proposed plan of action includes outreach to every school in the county and further events run in partnership between Street Beats Foundation and the local government.

In Juba, Support the Needy Initiative (SuNI), an organisation which aims to provide holistic assistance to those affected by war, poverty, and social injustice, ran a community sensitisation event. SuNI works directly with vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), women, children, and marginalised communities, and more than 50 children and adults took the pledge during their community event.