Beyonce Emmy is a senior one student at Kings Academy| By Wol Mapal|27-11-2025

A teen girl is urging the government of South Sudan to urgently confront the growing challenges facing children—including child labour, forced marriage, hunger, insecurity, disease outbreaks, and economic hardship.

Beyoncé Emmy delivered the powerful appeal on Thursday during the launch of the 2026–2030 Work Plan for Children in South Sudan by World Vision. Speaking to government officials, development partners, and child rights advocates, she described the new plan as “a hopeful and strong program that will help children achieve their dreams,” but stressed that major barriers continue to block the future of South Sudanese children.

Beyoncé, a senior one student at Kings Academy outlined child labour, forced marriage, hunger, insecurity, disease outbreaks, and economic hardship as the leading factors preventing children from attaining education and pursuing their aspirations.

She highlighted child labour as one of the most pressing issues, citing the high number of minors working on the streets.

On forced marriage, Beyoncé said girls are often denied education due to poverty and harmful traditional practices.

She added that hunger continues to push many children out of school and linked food insecurity to the broader issue of national instability, saying that hunger and conflict reinforce each other.

“Let me move forward to go to the first thing that’s really affecting us as the children of South Sudan. The first thing is child labour…The second thing is forced marriage…The second thing is hunger. If I am hungry, do you think I can go to school? No, I can’t go to school if I am hungry,” Beyoncé said.

She further alluded to disease outbreaks as major setbacks that interrupt schooling and contribute to high dropout rates. Economic instability, she noted, also affects families’ ability to educate their children.

Beyoncé called on the government, development partners, and “angels supporting children” to take concrete steps to improve children’s welfare.

Her appeals included fighting child labour and forced marriage, improving food security, and strengthening national security. She also urged the government to support students with school needs to prevent dropouts and to strengthen healthcare services by equipping hospitals with adequate medicines.

“My appeal also goes to the government to implement good security to support students and pupils in South Sudan. Most children are dying because of lack of good hospitals…Here I stand to appeal to you on behalf of the children of South Sudan to help the hospitals with good medicines that will help us go to school and achieve our dreams,” she added.

The 2026–2030 Work Plan for Children in South Sudan aims to strengthen child protection, education, health, and livelihood systems to ensure a safer and more supportive environment for children. Beyoncé reminded leaders that children are not just the future—they are citizens of today who need immediate support to thrive.