JUBA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A former child refugee in South Sudan has taken the frontline to promote peace building in the strife-torn East African nation through education.
Jok Abraham Thon, the ambitious youth is on a mission to give hope to his peers affected by conflict by ensuring they have access to formal education that could guarantee them an alternative livelihood.
Thon, the founder and Director of Promised Land Secondary School and Youths for Peace through Education Initiative, candidly shared his vision to help the conflict-affected youths to shun guns and embrace books as part of transforming lives and restoring stability in their motherland.
He left his home village in the wake of Sudanese civil war, escaped to western Uganda with his family as refugees where he finished primary and secondary school education.
"I am changing the mindset of youth in this country to ensure they become champions of peace and harmonious co-existence instead of acting as hired warriors," Thon told Xinhua during an interview on Wednesday in Juba.
He revealed that upon returning to South Sudan; he joined University of Juba and graduated with a major in economics and banking in 2017.
The 28-year-old believed that his campaign aimed at transforming minds from "bullets to books" through providing youths with access to education will hasten reconstruction of his war-torn motherland.
"If we educate all the youth in South Sudan, their behaviors will change and people will always think of what to do for themselves instead of supporting war mongering politicians," said Thon.
He said the school accommodates 673 students who are part of the population of displaced persons (IDPs) living in the capital, Juba.
Thon added that his initiative is also supporting 67 girls who were victims of early child marriage, including 83 orphans.
The campaign has secured him a place among 700 outstanding African youth leaders selected for 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), a U.S. based program that empowers young people through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking.
"It is only education that can assist youths to prevent conflict and strengthen inter-ethnic relations," Thon told Xinhua.
South Sudan has one of the highest illiteracy levels in the world despite the commitment by the government and international partners to expand access to education.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) says that 70 percent of schools in the conflict-affected states of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile were not functioning and about 400,000 children who had been in school later dropped out, citing fear for their lives.
South Sudan's conflict has now entered its fifth year. The conflict erupted in 2013 after forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar engaged in combat.
The 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital, Juba, forcing Machar to flee into exile.
Millions of South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge in neighboring countries as the conflict rages on despite attempts by international players to end it.