Some refugee students at Yusuf Batil Secondary School in Maban say they have limited opportunities to further their studies/Charles Wote/Eye Radio.

Being a refugee comes with limitations. From food shortages to lack of education and limited employment opportunities.

This is the case of Sudanese refugees being hosted in Maban County of Upper Nile State.

The refugees used the World Refugee Day marked globally on June 20 every year to voice out their concerns over limited life opportunities.

Refugees in Maban County, Upper Nile State have appealed for more life opportunities such as #education, #healthcare, #employment #WorldRefugeeDay #SouthSudan #SSOT pic.twitter.com/1ooedqeRqh

— Eye Radio (@EyeRadioJuba) June 20, 2021

This year’s World Refugee Day calls on the communities and governments to include the refugees in healthcare, education, and sport. The day is marked under the theme “together we heal, together we learn and together we shine.”

Some of the refugee students at Yusuf Batil Secondary School in Maban have appealed to the government and aid partners to provide them with opportunities to further their studies.

They spoke to Eye Radio on the sideline of an event organized to mark World Refugee Day on Thursday at Yusuf Batil Secondary school in Maban.

In response, the Commissioner for Refugee Affairs John Bol Akot promised to look into the matter.

“The issues which require attention here is the education because the students of the refugees are complaining that they pass to higher education and they don’t have vacancies. I am going to come here with the Minister of Higher Education so that we talk to them and find how we can take these students to higher education,” Mr. Bol Akot explained.

World Refugee Day celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.

The occasion builds empathy and understanding for the plight of refugees and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.

UNHCR Representative to South Sudan, Arafat Jamal said nobody wishes to be a refugee.

“To be a refugee means there is a failure in the world. It is a failure of peace in their country where they leave but when a refugee crosses a border and finds protection, that is a success,”Mr. Jamal said.

Maban hosts about 144,000 refugees  from Sudan.

According to UNHCR, South Sudan hosts more than 300,000 refugees from neighboring countries.