Since gaining independence, South Sudan has endured repeated cycles of violence that have left communities fractured and families struggling to survive. For many years, insecurity, displacement, and lack of basic services have defined daily life. Women and children, in particular, have carried the heaviest burden of this instability.

In conflict-affected communities, Hands of Mercy (HoM) works alongside local partners to create Child Friendly Spaces (CFS)—safe environments where children can play, learn, and begin to heal from trauma. These spaces also allow HoM staff to listen, to understand, and to give children the opportunity to be heard.

Ayen is one of those children.

A Life Without Peace

Ayen is 15 years old. She has grown up hearing gunfire at night and watching adults carry fear in their faces. Peace, to her, is something she has heard about—but never truly known.

Her father is often away, connected to the fighting that surrounds their community. When he returns, she says, he is quiet and distant. Her mother spends long days searching for food and working in nearby fields to keep the family alive. Ayen’s older brothers play games that imitate the violence they see around them, pretending to be soldiers because that is the only future they can imagine.

Ayen tells me she feels safest when she is with her mother—but her mother is rarely home. Survival leaves little time for rest or comfort.

Finding Hope in Small Places

Every Sunday, Ayen goes to church. She says she likes listening to the pastor speak about kindness, forgiveness, and peace. He often reminds the congregation that children deserve protection and love. Under a mango tree near the church, Ayen once joined the pastor and his family in prayer. As she listened, she heard him speak about a world where families live without fear.

That day, he asked her if there was something she wanted. Ayen stayed silent—but she did not forget his words.

The following week, she asked her siblings to come with her to church. They refused, warning her that their father would be angry. Ayen told me she went anyway. “I wanted to hear about peace again,” she said.