Marial

Introduction.

My name is Marial . I'm 30 years old. I was born in South Sudan in Jonglei State. I came to this country in 2015. My family is very humble and is now being led by my mother. My father passed away in 2013 during the war. Discussing my family brings back a lot of complex emotions. Currently, we are living in a settlement, and with the little education I have gained, I am helping to support my family. I have two siblings, and I am not married yet. My mother is now a farmer, raising animals. As a single mother, she is working hard to support me and the entire family. Currently, we do not have any support apart from the assistance provided by the UN.

A Harrowing Journey to Safety

The journey from my village to Nimule, at the border between South Sudan and Uganda, was extremely challenging. Since that journey was fragmented along tribal and ethnic lines, moving from one area to another became fraught with danger. Personally, I am Dinka. When people identified me as Dinka, some saw it as a reason to kill. To survive, we had to move cautiously. We couldn’t travel during the day; we moved at night. My family and I had to pretend—we pretended to be Nuer because we were born in a Nuer area. We managed to communicate in a few Nuer words and also used Arabic. This allowed us to navigate through the situation. But it was extremely challenging because ethnic identity posed a serious threat. We had to travel on foot, walking until we reached a place where we encountered people who were able to assist us. We moved slowly and eventually made it to Nimule, where we stayed for a few days. When we arrived at the reception, the situation was very difficult. Fortunately, there were some individuals present who we could communicate with, and they explained that this settlement scheme was better than others due to the availability of education and other resources. With their help, we coordinated our journey until we finally arrived here. Upon arrival, we entered the system managed by UNHCR and OPM. The entire journey was incredibly tough and required immense effort. I never expected we would make it, but by God’s mercy, we did.

Mentally, we are settled and keeping ourselves busy, trying to make life meaningful. The settlement is okay, but since it is still a settlement, home remains the best. We truly hope that, in the future, peace will return to my country, making it a better place. My hope for the future is very bright, but it dims at times. Because South Sudan is an unpredictable land. Our politicians and the general population currently living in South Sudan are unsettled. Our economy has collapsed, and the political structure continues to disturb the public. My hope is to live in a peaceful country—a country that develops energy resources, nurtures potential, promotes talent, provides education, and ensures access to healthcare. This is what I hope for. Some of these things I am already experiencing here in Uganda. When I look at Uganda and compare it to South Sudan, my hope becomes brighter while I’m here. However, when I think of South Sudan, my hope dims at times because it is uncertain. The situation was once political, but now it has evolved into something else. We are striving to stay energized and work toward where we want to be. We cultivate the land and feed ourselves because there is little hope left in our country, which has been devastated by tribalism. Here in the settlement, we interact with colleagues from different tribes—some of the same tribes we had conflicts with in South Sudan. Through the Peacemakers initiative, those relationships have transformed. With the experiences I’ve gained through this program, I feel that this is a significant and positive step forward.

From Tribalism to Global Citizenship

My life before Kiryandongo was shaped by an enclosed ethnic perspective. I believed that the Dinka people were the best. I thought that my tribe was superior, influenced by what I heard from politicians and elders. Tribal identity dominated my mindset, and I believed the world could not change. As a Dinka, I thought I was everything. However, when I came to Kiryandongo, I realized that peace and diversity are essential and must go hand in hand. Together, they can bring unity.

As a child, since I began primary school, I dreamt of becoming a teacher because my country needs education, and only a few of us were able to go to school. When you go to school, you can become a doctor and help people. But those people who come to you, you mostly inject them. That's okay, but how will you enlighten them? How will you bring to light what you have learned? How can you actually inspire them? I realized that the way I can inspire my people is by becoming a teacher, so that I can reach a wider audience and have more beneficiaries from my knowledge. That dream is still alive. Additionally, through my experiences with others and mentorship from Y Global and other friends, I have also discovered my talent as an actor and dramatist. I can pursue this work as well. Still, my dream remains the same because all of these paths ultimately communicate the same message.

The first time I arrived in Kiryandongo, I had the same mindset I held while in South Sudan. I viewed other tribes with suspicion and felt mentally threatened. Indeed, there was some fighting within the settlement, but the violence was confined to a single tribe and did not escalate along ethnic lines. However, this made me think that if the tribal conflicts subsided within that group, they might eventually turn their attention to us.

At the time, I wasn’t in a good mental state. I even kept my panga sharpened, prepared for any potential danger. That was the reality I perceived—it felt like Kiryandongo could become as volatile as South Sudan. This mentality stemmed from my experiences back in South Sudan, where our people also viewed situations in the same way I did. Fighting was prevalent and seemed inevitable, as I saw it.

This transformation began when I joined Y Global. When I was recruited as a Peacemaker, I initially felt uneasy because I was afraid of interacting on a platform with people from different tribes. Through training and mentorship from various individuals, including the project officer and experienced Peacemakers, I came to understand the importance of peace.

Up to now, I have realized that I am not just a Dinka; I am a South Sudanese. This is my identity. Beyond South Sudan, I see myself as an African, and from Africa, I consider myself a global citizen. I have come to understand this through the network of Peacemakers. Remarkably, my closest friend now—and even my girlfriend—is Nuer. Nuer and Dinka have historically faced deep conflicts in South Sudan. This connection is profound and transformative.

I gained this understanding from a fellow Peacemaker who introduced me to this perspective. This network has taught me that I am not defined solely by my tribe but by my broader identity as a South Sudanese. I swear to God, if God is watching what I am saying, I owe this experience to Y Global. This is what I can confidently say.

Finding Love in Diversity

I have a girlfriend who was introduced to me by a friend who is called Bor. Bor is a friend that I got from Y Global here. He's a Peacemaker. He's even undergoing now a training with Y Global. This guy click her to me. He showed me to her. Up to now we are looking to be engaged that if God helps, we can make a family. This family now is a diverse family already because is in interethnic. It becomes very good for me since I'm not a person who look into tribe as a value, but I look into diversity. Diversity make peace, and peace comes through diversity. My future with my girlfriend really matters. I would say why, because this is what we talk when we talk on the phone. I know this is one of the ways that peace will reach greater point in future.

*Diversity make peace, and peace comes through diversity-Marial*

Aspirations to Educate and Inspire

As a child, since I began primary school, I dreamt of becoming a teacher because my country needs education, and only a few of us were able to go to school. When you go to school, you can become a doctor and help people. But those people who come to you, you mostly inject them. That's okay, but how will you enlighten them? How will you bring to light what you have learned? How can you actually inspire them? I realized that the way I can inspire my people is by becoming a teacher, so that I can reach a wider audience and have more beneficiaries from my knowledge. That dream is still alive. Additionally, through my experiences with others and mentorship from Y Global and other friends, I have also discovered my talent as an actor and. I can pursue this work as well. Still, my dream remains the same because all of these paths ultimately communicate the same message.

My hope for the future is very bright, but it dims at times. Why? Because South Sudan is an unpredictable land. Our politicians and the general population currently living in South Sudan are unsettled. Our economy has collapsed, and the political structure continues to disturb the public. My hope is to live in a peaceful country—a country that develops energy resources, nurtures potential, promotes talent, provides education, and ensures access to healthcare. This is what I hope for. Some of these things I am already experiencing here in Uganda. When I look at Uganda and compare it to South Sudan, my hope becomes brighter while I’m here. However, when I think of South Sudan, my hope dims at times because it is uncertain.

There are some services that we are supposed to receive but have not been fully provided. We are receiving meat rations, but these rations do not meet all our needs. We are coping with this simply because it is our only option. However, our community is a community that does not need money, it needs peaceful support. Our community needs to be supported. Food itself is not enough. What my community needs is an activity that is soft and integrate into their mind. My community is tough. The South Sudan community is a community that has a lot of tribes, 64 and above. These people now you cannot feed them so that they are peaceful, but you can talk to them, you can preach to them. The people who are outside there, this project is actually helping.

Introduction to Y Global

The first time I heard about Y Global was when my mother was counseled. That was the first time. From there, I realized Y Global had activities, and I became aware of them through other initiatives as well. But, honestly, if I can say, it was from that point that I knew Y Global existed. Through other activities of the Peacemakers, I saw that they shared experiences, played football, held roundtable discussions, and more. But, honestly, the first time I heard about them was when my mother was counseled. When I first came to training, I observed people with different ideologies, as the training had not yet started. Before the training, I looked at people in a certain way, but once the training began, it was able to dig out what was inside me—what was troubling me. That’s when we explored everything, and I truly understood that my worries were for nothing. I was afraid for nothing. I had been thinking that way about everything.

Impact of Y Global

Actually, my experience with Y Global and my community has brought me up to the sense that I'm talking today to you. I appreciate Y Global for carrying out this. It really makes sense for somebody like me who has always volunteered as a peacemaker in the community. Currently, as I talk now, it stands as being an ambassador of peace, being an ambassador for change, being an ambassador of unity, being an ambassador of psychosocial wellbeing for the public is what I have gotten. It also brings into my mind that our achievement has Peacemakers has brought into the light whatever I will say today. I appreciate, I'm going to discuss with you all my experience, and experience of entire Peacemakers network within the settlement. I am hopeful that if life improves and my country returns to normalcy, I will be able to go back and contribute to making a difference.

If I look at myself in five years' time, after five years I shall have been a great Peacemaker. I shall have been someone who is able to support anybody who lacks peace mentality. I shall have been someone will look at South Sudan as a place that needs change. I shall have been someone who is well-trained by Y Global, again, if there's capacity which is needed more so that I cover more. I shall have been someone who is active in my country and following my potential.

Having this platform and safe space through the Peacemakers group has been transformative. Sharing our stories instead of keeping them inside has been crucial for our mental well-being. Holding onto these stories only deepens the pain and stress. Through the safe space we’ve created, we’ve built trust and truly embraced the advantages of diversity. It is not easy for a South Sudanese to trust others, but this space has given us hope.

Wilma

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