Seeds of Hope in Itang Refugee Camp
At Ethiopia’s Itang camp, young Paul Ruot Bayoch fixed his eyes on grain sacks stamped “From the American People.” The inscription, he says, felt like a personal promise that war had not erased compassion.
Born amid Sudan’s 1988 turmoil, his parents escaped southward violence and famine, joining thousands in Gambella. Entirely reliant on humanitarian deliveries, families navigated daily uncertainty yet clung to the possibility of return.
Education Amid Hardship
Makeshift mud-and-thatch classrooms provided more than literacy; they became incubators of resilience. There, Bayoch first articulated ambitions of peace, civic service and eventual homecoming.
Healing Trauma Across South Sudan
Independence opened doors. In 2016, Bayoch joined USAID’s VISTAS project as a master trainer for Morning Star Trauma Awareness, trekking to Akobo, Rubkona, Panyijiar and Fangak.
Over three years he guided more than 2,000 leaders, women and youth through discussions on violence cycles, forgiveness and psychological repair, calling every workshop “a small brick in a national foundation”.
Data, Dialogue and Design
As Norwegian Refugee Council officer in 2020, he tackled land claims and documentation, translating legal jargon into practical rights for displaced households.
A year later, his Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning duties with the USAID-funded Shejeh Salam project in Jonglei exposed patterns behind cattle raiding, child abduction and youth unemployment, informing conflict-sensitive programming.
Radio Waves for Reconciliation
When external funding ebbed, Bayoch pivoted to volunteer broadcasting with BBC Media Action South Sudan, curating dialogue shows that amplified women’s and youth voices on local peace initiatives.
He believes radio’s reach stitches together remote counties that road networks still fail, offering “airtime paths where asphalt is missing.”
A Future Fueled by Collective Action
Bayoch acknowledges South Sudan’s continued fragility yet insists that citizen agency, not external prescription, will anchor lasting stability.
“We have bled enough,” he remarks, urging investment in jobs, infrastructure and education to transform grievances into growth.
From Itang’s grain sacks to community airwaves, his journey argues that timely assistance paired with local leadership can shift narratives from survival to shared prosperity.