In brief
South Sudanese teens, including Siama Santino and Amoko Ronny, urged the government and donors in a Juba event to prioritize climate‑resilient schools, early‑warning systems, and relief for flood‑affected families. The activists highlighted how severe flooding, drought, and heat undermine education and food security, calling for immediate, practical projects and climate education.
In Juba on October 30, 2026, teenage climate advocates gathered at a Save the Children and Ministry of Environment and Forestry–organized event to demand that South Sudan’s leaders and international partners move beyond lofty pledges and adopt concrete climate‑resilience measures ahead of COP31, scheduled to begin November 9 – 20 in Antalya, Turkey.
Siama Santino, 17, described how floods make daily school travel a perilous trek: “Every morning when you wake up, you have to think of how much you are going to move in water or first remove your shoes to reach school,” she told Xinhua. Her testimony underscored the daily hardships students endure in flood‑stricken regions.
“Every morning when you wake up, you have to think of how much you are going to move in water or first remove your shoes to reach school,” Siama Santino said.
Representative Amoko Ronny, 18, highlighted how extreme heat and recurring floods have pushed children out of classrooms and destroyed crops, deepening food shortages. “Children must be the top priority,” he said, urging investment in climate‑aware education, resilient school infrastructure, early‑warning systems, sustainable agriculture, and clean energy.
“Children must be the top priority,” Ronny said.
The activists stressed that climate‑resilient school design, upgraded early‑warning systems, and immediate relief for affected families should receive funding from both domestic budgets and international donors. They also called for expanded climate education, emergency preparedness training, and humanitarian aid for households displaced by flooding.
While South Sudan’s government announced plans to include climate resilience in its national adaptation strategy, the activists remain uncertain whether these pledges will translate into on‑the‑ground projects before COP31. The event left debate open on how quickly tangible action can be mobilised.
