In Magwi County in the state of Eastern Equatoria, there are large areas of landmines, cluster bombs, and unexploded ordnance (UXO). These have in the past hindered access to farm lands, water points, grazing lands, and community access routes. For many people returning to their homes, their activities posed a threat to their safety.
With the support of the Government of the Netherlands, DCA’s mine action teams are working to clear the dangerous areas and make the land safe again for the people to use. Clearance activities are carried out in areas that have the most impact on people’s lives, including farm lands, community access routes, water points, and school areas. Once the area is deemed safe, the change can be instantaneous and potent.
Footballs become a symbol of recovery
In ten schools in Magwi County, children have recently received footballs as part of the Netherlands’ nationwide campaign to spread peace and unity among young people in South Sudan. Areas that were once dangerous have now become areas filled with laughter, movement, and games. The boys and girls assemble after classes in schoolyards and cleared spaces that are safe from explosive remnants of war.
The orange footballs bounce around in the schoolyards and fields, uniting children from different communities. For some of them, it is not just a game; it is also the first opportunity for them to run and play on land that was previously considered unsafe.
The footballs have become a symbol of recovery in these communities.
Sports promoting peace
The Netherlands is helping restore not only safe land but also a sense of normalcy and hope in these communities through its humanitarian mine clearance efforts and youth-based initiatives. “Football unites where fighting divides,” said Ambassador Paul Tholen of the Netherlands during the launch of a nationwide football campaign in the country. Sport is a place where differences are forgotten and teamwork is promoted.
The effects of this extend beyond recreation, as safe school environments encourage children to go to school, bolster community confidence in returning to cleared land, and support the process of livelihood reconstruction in general.
In Magwi, the cheers of children on the football field are more than a recreational activity; they are a sign that land once scarred by war is now supporting a more peaceful future.
Thanks to the continued partnership between the Government of the Netherlands and humanitarian mine action programs, land is being returned to communities, and spaces once defined by danger are now being filled with opportunity, learning, and joy.
About the MACM Programme
- Full Title: Mine Action & Cluster Munitions (MACM) Programme III
- Timeline: June 2025 to December 2029
- Partner: Support for Peace and Education Development Programme (SPEDP) – Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) and Food Security & Livelihoods)
- Amount: 5,800,000 EUR
- DCA Theme: Building Resilient Communities and Saving Lives
- Donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
