Irish Youth Fund Meals for Nearly 4,000 South Sudanese Children

(JUBA) – Almost 4,000 children in South Sudan will be guaranteed daily meals for the next year thanks to fundraising by young people across the Church of Ireland.

The initiative, called Pancakes and Prayer, was run during Lent by the Church of Ireland Youth Department together with the Bishops’ Appeal for World Aid and Development. Youth groups, schools and parishes in Ireland were encouraged to pray for schools in South Sudan while raising funds, often by giving something up or holding community events.

The funds, which totalled £8,300 (about 88,900 SSP or 10,400 USD) and €9,500 (about 97,500 SSP or 11,300 USD), were channelled through the charity Fields of Life. The money is being used to provide seeds, plants and tools for school gardens in South Sudan so that pupils receive food grown within their own schools. According to Fields of Life, this support will directly benefit 3,980 schoolchildren.

National Youth Officer Simon Henry praised the scale of the response, saying the level of participation from young people, clergy and parish groups was “encouraging and inspiring.”

He added that partnership with Bishops’ Appeal and Fields of Life was central to the success of the project.

Hilary McClay, Education Advisor for Bishops’ Appeal, welcomed the outcome, saying the organisation was “delighted by the wonderful response” and encouraged young people to continue praying for South Sudanese children and schools.

Naomi Campbell, Grants and Partnerships Manager at Fields of Life, said the impact of the support was already visible. She noted that the number of pupils in eight partner schools had increased by 20 per cent, rising from 3,296 to 3,980.

She described South Sudan as “the world’s poorest country, where over 70 per cent of children are out of school,” and said daily meals provided by the gardens were helping children to stay in class, concentrate and complete their education.

The Pancakes and Prayer initiative will continue in Lent 2026. Organisers say they hope the success of this year’s campaign will inspire even greater participation.

Fundraising Impact (2025 figures)

South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, has an estimated population of 11 million. Around 22 per cent are children under the age of 14. Education remains one of the country’s greatest challenges, with widespread poverty, conflict and food insecurity forcing many children out of school.

The Haddow Primary School in South Sudan, supported by Fields of Life, is one of the schools benefiting from the project. Pupils there, like in other supported schools, now have access to daily meals and school gardens that can sustain their nutritional needs.