Raisingtheirvoices

In the midst of the violence in South Sudan, a choir of girls rescued from the streets keeps hope alive

the line from Beijing to Juba is bad. It takes several attempts to connect and even after the call goes through, the voices on the other end keep on disappearing and the tenuous link breaks.

Then Monique comes on the line. She has just finished school for the day and is on her way to choir practice. She launches into a full-throated rendition of Christ is born in Bethlehem, the traditional Christmas carol that she will be singing in church and at festive season events, and the magic of her beautiful voice triumphs over the reluctant line.

Welcome to the Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC) choir. It incorporates elements of The Sound of Music and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, yet retains a unique sound. And it lights up South Sudan, the world’s youngest country that has witnessed more violence and bloodshed than peace and progress since its birth in July 2011. Sudan got independent in 2011, they remained in South Sudan.

Ellen (not her real name) was born after her father went to fight in the war. She lived in the market with her mother, who was an alcoholic. “When I came across Ellen, she was filthy and her language was foul,” Groenendijk said. “She lived a risky life, surviving on picking pockets. She was also sexually abused. And she was only seven.”

Alina (not her real name) was brought to CCC by her mother. “She was 12 or 13 and her father and brothers were getting her married,” Groenendijk said. “Girls are used as commodities to bring money, especially in a conflict zone. A girl child is a tree who is meant for harvesting. They gave her to a man who paid cows for her. When she came to us, she couldn’t