Children attend a mass at Stone International Church. (-)

A religious leader at Stone International Church said he has granted scholarship opportunities to about 600 children from Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.

Prophet Peter Ayuel Deng, commonly known as Peter AD, said the children arrived in Juba late in February 2024.

In an exclusive interview with Eye Radio on Thursday, he disclosed that the children have joined about 2,000 other children already being hosted and sponsored by the church.

According to the man of God, the children, mostly orphaned and unaccompanied, were transported from Aweil to Juba under full authorization of the government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

The minors mostly boys are aged between two and 18 years and will study in the church school in Juba, from the nursery to secondary level.

Prophet Peter AD said the families and communities in Aweil approached him and asked for the scholarship opportunity while in Aweil to visit the tomb of his late mother.

“I visited Aweil in January and I got to know that my villagers know what I’m doing in Juba, so they told me, servant of God, you are now helping the whole South Sudan, but we don’t see ourselves in the picture,” the prophet narrated.

Peter AD said the parents pleaded with him to have their children sponsored by his church charity in Juba.

“I said OKAY. Let’s take it before your government, we discussed it with the government of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and the governor of the state said, this is the demand of the people.”

“So, we agreed, and we joined hands, and the children were transported, and they reached on the 28^th of February to Juba.”

He added that the school also receives orphans and street children from other states to Juba.

Footage shared on social media in February, showed the children, including very young ones, being transported from Aweil to the capital by dozens of buses.

Stone International Church is a non-profit religious charity founded in Khartoum in 2009.

The church runs an online broadcast site that has grown in popularity and attracted thousands of viewers.

Prophet AD calls himself the spiritual son of the late Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua.