Numbers can feel abstract. So let us start with something concrete: in South Sudan today, there are more children out of school than in almost any other country on earth. Not because families do not value education. Not because children do not want to learn. But because the circumstances of war, poverty, and displacement have made basic schooling an extraordinary achievement rather than a guaranteed right.
Understanding this crisis is the foundation of everything we do at St. Mary's Global Foundation. You cannot address a problem you do not see clearly.
The Statistics
The data from UNICEF, UNESCO, and the South Sudan Ministry of Education tell a consistent story:
- Only about 34% of South Sudanese adults are literate — one of the lowest literacy rates in the world.
- Fewer than 40% of school-age children attend primary school, and completion rates are even lower. Many children who enroll do not reach the final grade.
- Girls are disproportionately excluded. In some regions, fewer than 1 in 5 girls complete primary education. The ratio of girls to boys in secondary school is among the worst globally.
- An estimated 2.8 million children are out of school — more than the entire population of many small countries.
- Over 70% of schools have no permanent structure. Children learn under trees or in makeshift shelters that flood in the rainy season and bake in the dry season.
- The teacher shortage is severe. Many teachers have no formal training. The student-to-teacher ratio in rural areas can exceed 80 to 1.
Why Girls Are Hit Hardest
Girls in South Sudan face a particular set of barriers that compound over time. When schools are far from home, parents often decide it is too dangerous for daughters to walk long distances. When schools lack separate, secure sanitation facilities, adolescent girls stop attending when they reach puberty. When a family faces economic pressure, the calculation often lands on the side of keeping girls home to help with domestic labor or care for younger siblings.
Then there is child marriage. South Sudan has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with over half of girls married before age 18. Marriage typically ends a girl's education immediately. The cycle — no education, early marriage, early childbearing, poverty, no resources for children's education — repeats generation after generation.
Breaking this cycle requires targeted intervention. It is not enough to build schools and assume girls will attend. Programs must address the specific barriers girls face: school proximity, sanitation, safety, family incentives, and the social norms that undervalue girls' education.
The Connection to Conflict
South Sudan's civil war, which began in 2013 and produced periodic waves of intense violence through subsequent years, devastated the education system. Schools were looted, destroyed, or occupied by armed groups. Teachers fled. Families were displaced — in some cases, multiple times.
The psychological toll on children who witnessed or experienced violence is also significant and often invisible. Trauma affects learning in deep ways. Children who have survived displacement, violence, or the loss of family members need not just classrooms but safe, supportive learning environments with teachers who understand what they have been through.
Rebuilding the education system in this context is not a matter of simply constructing buildings. It requires a holistic approach that addresses safety, trauma, economic barriers, and social norms simultaneously.
Why We Act Anyway
The scale of the problem can feel paralyzing. But the evidence of what works is also clear. Well-designed programs — those built on community trust, designed with local input, and implemented with consistency — do move the needle. Enrollment goes up. Girls stay in school longer. Teachers become more effective. Communities begin to see and believe in the value of education.
We act because the alternative — doing nothing in the face of this crisis — is not acceptable. We act because every child who gains access to quality education is a force multiplier for their community and for the next generation. We act because the children of South Sudan deserve advocates who will not look away.
This is why St. Mary's Global Foundation exists. If you want to be part of the solution, your support makes a direct difference.