Kiara Barnes, April Garrison, Yasmin Ibanez, Karrisa Nelson, Cesar Reyes

Professor Holland
English 2010
28 April 2014
Save South Sudan
50.6% of the population in Sudan is living in extreme poverty, in addition these people
are under the stress of violence including gender based violence, exploitation, abuse and
deprivation (UNICEF, Statistics). There are 4.4 million children, more than half of the total
population of 8.2 million who are included in these terrifying living conditions (UNICEF,
Statistics). With so much focus on a distant peace, the suffering of South Sudanese children has
been overlooked as it is grouped with general subjects such as human rights and displacement.
By lending our support we intend to spread the word through social media.
There are many ways to contact people and give them information. One can create
awareness through localized flyers, television, radio and more. However, this generation of
college students communicate and consume information primarily through social media.
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Tumblr and Pintrest are based around sharing,
retweeting, using search hashtags and pinning for others to see. Twitter alone has 240 million
active users (Koh). Our message is to spread the word. Social media allows us to fulfill that goal
because it is so commonly and easy to use.
In order to spread the information and get more support, organizations have recognized
the potential in social media and have incorporated them to their websites to aid their cause.
Those who cannot donate materially or monetarily to the South Sudan crisis but still would like
to help can do so by increasing awareness through social media. Establishments such as South
Sudanese Refugee Children's Foundation, World Health Organization and UNICEF have created
social media outlets to spread the word of their accomplishments and to encourage others to
participate (UNICEF, News). We can pass along the message using a rhetoric of images and
statements that appeal to the logos, ethos and pathos of the general population. Attention-
grabbing images, easy to digest and organized information. It is as simple as the click of a
mouse.
There are established organizations that use social media to help the children in Sudan,
but we can strengthen the visibility of this issue by emphasizing that the average person can help
by spreading the word. People in America are ignorant, there is little interest in the world outside
our own. The crisis in Sudan is a tragedy that people do not know about. Our job as students is to
utilize our resources to inform our fellow citizens on this matter, we can do that through social
media. People need to know that there is an immediate need to stop the conflict in Sudan because
there are children who need help. Everyone needs to know that they can give these poor children
the necessary tools to live and create a better community. So when the war is brought to its end,
whether or not diplomacy is involved, there will be a generation willing, and able to keep peace
that lasts much longer than eleven years.
Works Cited
Koh, Yoree. Only 11% of New Twitter Users in 2012 Are Still Tweeting. Wall Street Journal.
Wall Street Journal, 21 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
UNICEF, Statistics. "Children in South Sudan. "UNICEF. UNICEF, 4 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.unicef.org/esaro/Children_in_South_Sudan_fact_sheets.pdf>.
UNICEF, News. "Children In South Sudan Are More Vulnerable Than Ever." UNICEF News.
UNICEF, 3 Apr. 2014. 4 Apr. 2014. <blogs.unicef.org/2014/04/03/children-south-
sudan/>.