The Silent Victims: How South Sudan’s Girls Are Paying the Highest Price for Climate Change

Juba, South Sudan — As climate shocks deepen across South Sudan, from prolonged droughts to devastating floods, one group is paying the highest price for a crisis they did not cause: the nation’s girls.

In a country already burdened by poverty, conflict, and displacement, the changing climate has become a silent war — one that is robbing girls of education, health, safety, and hope for the future. Behind every failed crop and flooded village lies a story of a young girl forced to walk farther for water, drop out of school, or enter early marriage to help her family survive.

Photo credit: Bullen Chol (Bullen Images) — A homestead submerged by floodwaters in South Sudan, capturing the harsh realities of climate change and its impact on vulnerable communities.

Climate change in South Sudan is not gender-neutral. As rising temperatures, unpredictable rains, and floods sweep across the country, they magnify existing inequalities. According to recent UN assessments, women and girls face the greatest exposure to climate-related risks, from hunger and water scarcity to gender-based violence.

Schools — often made from corrugated iron sheets — have turned into furnaces during recent heatwaves, forcing widespread closures. When that happens, girls are the first to stay home. Many never return, as the pressure of domestic chores, caregiving, or forced marriage consumes their futures.

“When girls stop going to school because of heat or floods, it’s not just education that’s lost,” said a local education officer in Juba. “It’s their childhood, their voice, and their future that disappears.”

With water sources drying up, girls are walking longer distances to fetch water and collect firewood. Each trip exposes them to exhaustion, assault, and sometimes sexual violence. In flood-displaced communities, where thousands now live in temporary shelters, protection mechanisms are weak and resources scarce.

The climate crisis is also taking a toll on health. Food shortages and malnutrition have left thousands of adolescent girls undernourished, while pregnant young women face rising risks of miscarriage and complications under extreme heat. Access to reproductive healthcare remains limited, particularly in rural and flood-affected areas.

Meanwhile, as families struggle with failed harvests and lost livestock, child marriage has become a coping mechanism. “When the crops fail, parents see no other choice,” said a community leader in Jonglei State. “They marry their daughters to get food or cattle. It’s survival — but it destroys a generation.”

South Sudan contributes less than 0.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it stands among the countries hardest hit by the climate crisis. For the girl child, this injustice is stark. She carries the burden of a global problem she had no hand in creating.

“Climate change is multiplying vulnerabilities in ways we never imagined,” said an activist with Eden Foundation South Sudan, a youth-led environmental organization. “Our girls are the faces of resilience, but they cannot fight this battle alone. The world must stand with them.”

Experts and advocates are calling for urgent, gender-responsive climate action. They argue that education, healthcare, and protection services must be integrated into adaptation strategies if South Sudan is to safeguard its future generation.

1. Education as a shield: Climate-resilient schools — with shaded classrooms, cooling systems, and flexible learning schedules — can keep girls learning through heatwaves and floods.

2. Protection from violence: Safe spaces, lighting, and community watch groups in displacement camps can reduce the risk of gender-based violence.

3. Economic empowerment: Women’s cooperatives, climate-smart agriculture, and access to finance can help families build resilience and reduce dependency on harmful coping strategies.

4. Global solidarity: Wealthier nations must honor their climate finance pledges, ensuring that funds reach frontline communities where the impact is most severe and the victims least responsible.

The crisis facing South Sudan’s girls is not only a humanitarian issue — it is a test of global justice. Without bold action, an entire generation risks being lost to the combined forces of inequality and environmental collapse.

The girl child of South Sudan is more than a victim; she is a symbol of resilience, courage, and hope. But her strength alone is not enough. The world must act — not tomorrow, but today — to protect her right to learn, to lead, and to live in a world that values her future.

Because saving her is not just saving South Sudan — it is saving our shared humanity.