South Sudan: Temporary Learning Spaces in South Sudan

26 June 2017|Titus, TLS Huffra teacher

Children attending a class at the Gulawein school, in Maban, South Sudan. Around 200 children attend this school supported by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), which is building new classrooms, providing daily food and paying teachers. (Albert Gonzalez Farran/Jesuit Refugee Service)

I am Titus from Jammam and I came to Huffra because of the fighting between the opposition and the army in the Jammam area in 2015. When I came here, JRS made the decision to build a Temporary Learning Space (TLS) for us internally displaced persons (IDPs). Eventually, I joined TLS as a teacher.

I enjoy teaching and want to help the children gain knowledge about the world. Before, they did not know how to write and read or how to sit together. Now they are gaining reading and writing skills and have learned to share with one another. School is also important for the children to learn about themselves. It teaches them the differences between good and bad, to speak other languages, and to understand about the security situation in their country so that they can understand their situation. The skills they gain will help them to build a better future. They will remember who taught them and how it helped them to be who they are. If there are no teachers, there will be no ministers, doctors, pilots, or leaders.

I am honored to be a part of JRS because they have helped us IDPs since we first arrived. They have accompanied us and built temporary classes. They are feeding the children, educating our people, bringing balls for the children so that they can play, and helping disabled children.

Last year, JRS gave me the chance to join the Teacher Training in Banshulgo. It is currently helping me to plan and develop my lessons, which was very difficult for me at the beginning. I am also helping my colleagues in the school with some teaching skills that I learned. I enjoyed this training and sharing moments with the other tutors that are also involved.