School girls march during the launch of the 2nd Phase of the Girl's Education South Sudan Program in Juba - August 21, 2019 - Photo Credit: Majak Malak/GESS

The team leader of Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) has appealed to schoolchildren to follow the coronavirus prevention guidelines.
The advice comes a day after South Sudan confirmed one case of the coronavirus disease.

Last month, the government closed down all learning institutions as one of the preventive measures against the COVID-19.

Akuja de Garang, the GESS team leader, says Girls’ Education South Sudan is continuing to work throughout the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure that learners can come back to fully functioning schools once they reopen.

Health authorities have advised regular hand washing and social distancing as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

She says GESS and its partners will be helping to manage and mitigate the impact of the virus – ensuring learning does not stop.

“Please stay safe, listen to the messages of the ministry of health around personal hygiene and social distancing that is most important,” she advised pupils while speaking on Eye Radio’s Dawn show on Monday.

“To the girls and to the leaners in general, please maintain your hope that this situation is not going to last forever. So please stay away from any sort of temptation that might restrict in terms of your hope that you had planned for your life. This is not going to last forever, soon enough it will end and you will return to school so please keep that hope going, continue to do what you can to learn while you are at home.”

Started in 2013, GESS is a program run by the Ministry of Education with support from UKAID to transform the lives of a generation of girls in South Sudan through supporting their education.

The program provides cash to school attending girls to encourage them to remain in schools. It also supports the schools the girls are studying in.