South Sudan said Wednesday it has commenced the process of transferring cash to some 288,000 girls in order to keep them in school amid high school dropouts due to more than five years of conflict.

Akuja De Garang, Team Leader of Girls in Education South Sudan (GESS) supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) said the second phase of the program will provide cash transfers to more than 288,000 girls across the country that have been validated to receive the payment. Girls make up 45.44 percent of total enrollment in 2019 in primary school whereas in secondary school 38.7 percent are enrolled amid increased pressures girls face as they get older as some end up into forced early child marriages which are persistent in South Sudan. Read More