ABSTRACT
This chapter paints a picture of the decades-long conflict in South Sudan, the conflict in Uganda and the environment in which South Sudanese refugees in Uganda currently live. South Sudan was formerly a part of Sudan, but the differences in culture, religion, ethnicity created tension between the various tribes. The capital of Sudan was established in Khartoum, which allowed the Arab and Muslim-dominated people to hold power, at the expense of other ethnic and religious groups in the southern (now South Sudan) and western (Darfur) parts of the country. Once the south gained independence, violence abated for a short period before re-erupting. The jostling of power between the two main ethnic groups, the Dinka and Nuer, plunged the people of newly independent South Sudan back into war. Since independence in 2011, the country has vacillated between war and short periods of cease fire. In the midst of this, many people left South Sudan and settled in the West Nile region of Uganda. Uganda, also a conflict affected content, has accepted South Sudanese refugees, owing to its own experience with violence and displacement. While ECD is still a new concept in both South Sudan and Uganda, efforts are being made to provide services for young children and families until a durable solution can be found. It is within this backdrop that research on ECD in emergencies was conducted.
