Sebbits’s Journey

For a child that lived almost his whole life in an internally displaced persons’ camp, a day carried more weight than just hours. It meant more battles to fight and the price to live became hard work. Life was like a battlefield where survival was deemed for the fittest. Every new day seemed like punishment. That is the story of fourteen-year-old Sebbit who got exposed to child labour at an early age of eleven. It is a reminder to us that every child has a name, a story and a dream.

Sebbit and his mother fled for safety to Bor IDP camp formerly known as Bor POC in South Sudan during the 2013 crisis which was a tribal conflict. Many lives were lost during this period. He lived with his mother until she passed away in 2022 from a disease. Sebbit was only 11 at the time.

That was the beginning of hardship for him. He started living with his aunt. Unfortunately, she had no stable means of income and has four children of her own. They could go for a day or two without a meal. His new care giver lived in a house that was in a very bad condition. The house was flooded each time it rained.

She had to walk four hours a day carrying people’s charcoal only to be given 10,000SSP (66 euros) a month, which can hardly afford a decent meal. Sebbit had to drop out of school in 2022 when he was eleven years old.

He resorted to working in the market. He would work for 15 hours straight, from 5:00am-8:00pm, every day collecting and selling empty bottles as well as polishing people’s shoes. He became an adult at a young age and stopped living like a child.

To him, school felt like a luxury that he couldn’t afford. Sebbit forgot what living like a child felt like. He worked in the market like his life depended on it. Distress and tears became daily visitors to Sebbit. He knew no peace both at home and in the market where he works. He couldn’t even make friends.

“When my mother died, I thought that was the end of my life and education. I lost all hope. Save the children gave me back my childhood. “Ci locda teeth elong ke hoo ca loc duel gora ,” translated from the local dialect as I am happy that I am back in school now. I want to study hard and become a humanitarian worker so that I can help children going through the same situation that I faced, “says Sebbit Dak Rik.

During an awareness session about child protection in Bor IDP, a few community members and the Community-Based Child Protection Network reported the situation of Sebbit to the JF-FS&CPiE staff. Immediate action was taken and the case worker visited Sebbit’s family to conduct an initial assessment with consent from both Sebbit and his caregiver. A comprehensive assessment was done afterwards, and a holistic case plan was developed by both Sebbit and his caregiver with guidance from the case worker.

The case plan included engagement of his care giver in positive parenting sessions, linking Sebbit to a school and providing scholastic materials, provision of cash for income-generating activities (IGAs) to his caregiver, and materials for renovation of their shelter. Sebbit was furthermore introduced to the child-friendly space for non-focused psychosocial support.

“Sebbit looked so young, strained, tired eyes and carrying a burden that was too heavy for his age. His story reminds me of the importance of my work. This was deeper than just case management, it was restoration of a child’s dignity, sense of belonging and hope. It greatly stipulates the importance of family and community contribution in child protection.

Sebbit was finally able to stop working in the market an resume school instead. Through his participation in the psychosocial support sessions at the child-friendly space he managed to make new friends and started living his life to the fullest. His caregiver started a charcoal business and is now fully able to cater for Sebbit and her children, including Sebbit’s school fees.

She now understands positive parenting and knows it is wrong for children to be involved in child labour. Their house is now renovated, and they are no longer exposed to danger and diseases due to the condition of their house. The case was successfully closed after meeting all the set goals in the case plan. However, there is ongoing monitoring by the case worker tracking the families progress and resilience.

“You know Sebbit came to stay with me when I was struggling, I felt so helpless when he was working in the market. However, I learnt a lot during the parenting sessions. I set up a business using the money I was given and now I am able to look after Sebbit and my other children.”