06/08/2026
In Juba, a young graduate set fire to his own degree after years of walking the streets jobless.
He had spent four years in university, his family selling what little they had to pay his fees, believing the paper would open doors. But after graduation, the doors stayed closed. He applied to every NGO, every ministry, every company - carrying his certificate in a plastic folder until the edges were torn.
No connection, no job.
Yesterday, in front of his friends, he poured petrol on his degree and burned it. Not because he hates education, but because the paper that was supposed to be his future had become a reminder of his suffering.
In South Sudan today, many graduates are boda riders, tea sellers, and hustlers - not because they are lazy, but because there is no work for them.