This series from UNICEF focuses on the personal stories of students in different countries and contexts in which child-friendly school policies are being implemented.

Southern Sudan: Moving Forward

Four years into a regional peace accord after decades of conflict, school enrolment in Southern Sudan shot up, and children – including hundreds of thousands of girls, who were previously excluded – have swarmed into overcrowded classrooms. The government’s priority in moving forward is improving quality, so that schools like Buluk A Basic School can become child-friendly schools.

Mark Maluil Garang is 19 years old. When he was 11, he was separated from his family and, like thousands of other displaced boys in the Sudan, became a child soldier. Deserting from the army after three years on the run, Mark came to Juba to complete his education. He is among more than a million students who missed out on education during the war, when schools were closed, but are now making up for lost time.