Liam Neeson Visits South Sudan as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Urges Global Action Amid Funding Cuts Threatening Children’s Lives. 

JUBA/NEW YORK:

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and acclaimed actor Liam Neeson has made an emotional visit to South Sudan, calling for renewed global commitment to protect the country’s children as severe funding cuts threaten life-saving humanitarian programmes.

During his six-day visit, Neeson witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of economic shocks, climate change, poverty, and insecurity on South Sudan’s youngest citizens — especially girls — as the nation grapples with a growing humanitarian crisis.

According to UNICEF, 2.3 million children in South Sudan are currently at risk of severe acute malnutrition, a 10.5 per cent increase from last year. Almost 200 nutrition treatment sites have already shut down due to a funding shortfall, leaving mothers and children without essential care.

“I visited the main referral hospital in Juba and was deeply saddened by seeing so many malnourished children,” said Neeson. “They are hauntingly quiet when they should be laughing, sleeping when they should be playing, crying when they should be smiling. With treatment sites closing around the country, I ask myself — what will happen to those children?”

At a nutrition centre in Bor, Jonglei State, Neeson met Ajier, the mother of seven-month-old Lual Malek, who is recovering from severe malnutrition after receiving treatment from UNICEF-supported health workers. “It’s clear this treatment is working,” Neeson said. “Volunteer mothers in villages are finding and referring children who need help. Without these programmes, many would not survive.”

Beyond malnutrition, the actor also met young people who have endured child marriage, violence, and gang involvement. In South Sudan, half of all girls are at risk of child marriage, and three out of four women and girls will experience gender-based violence in their lifetime.

At the Gredo Youth Centre in Juba, Neeson met Alan Rugumoch, a 20-year-old who found stability through youth programmes supported by UNICEF. He also visited the Young Dreamers Sports Academy, founded by former gang member Alaak Kuku, which now engages 2,000 children in sports and mentoring activities each week.

“I was hugely impressed by Kuku,” Neeson said. “With a little support and a lot of hope, he built a thriving sports academy that gives children purpose and protection. He proves how much can be achieved when young people are given a chance.”

UNICEF warns that child protection services have been among the hardest hit by funding reductions. The number of social workers has plummeted from 25 per 100,000 children to fewer than five, leaving over 500 trained social workers jobless and thousands of children without critical protection.

UNICEF’s Country Representative in South Sudan, Noala Skinner, described Neeson’s visit as timely and essential.

“Liam Neeson’s visit comes at a critical time when we desperately need to shine a light on the children of this young nation,” Skinner said. “With declining foreign assistance, the situation is dire. We are deeply grateful to the donors who continue to stand with South Sudan, but sustained investment is urgently needed to secure children’s futures.”

UNICEF projects that global funding for its programmes could fall by at least 20 per cent over the next four years, a decline that could jeopardize nutrition, education, and protection efforts for millions of children worldwide.

“The world cannot turn its back on children like those I met in South Sudan,” Neeson urged. “Funding cuts are threatening life-saving programmes for children everywhere. Investing in children means investing in a stable, peaceful future for all. We either stand with them now — or watch their future slip away.”