Computer training empowers South Sudanese refugees

Key points:

• A $5,500 gift from The United Methodist Church’s Holston Foundation funded a seven-month project providing young people with hands-on digital literacy training.
• The mobile project moved every two months, bringing computer training to refugee settlements in Uganda and surrounding communities.
• East Africa Bishop Daniel Wandabula hopes the initiative can be replicated in other communities.

South Sudanese young people living in refugee camps in Uganda face limited access to digital tools. With no computers and internet, opportunities for education, communication and employment are limited.

The South Sudan Children Ministry is helping to change that through a Youth Digital Literacy Project funded by the Holston Foundation of The United Methodist Church. The foundation serves as a stewardship partner to individuals, churches and ministries throughout the Holston Conference, which encompasses parts of North Georgia, East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia in the U.S.

The $5,500 USD donation funded a seven‑month initiative equipping 50 beneficiaries with essential digital skills. The project targeted South Sudanese young people living in refugee settlement areas in Uganda.

Uganda hosts approximately 1.9 million refugees and asylum-seekers — the largest refugee population in Africa — according to 2025 numbers from the United Nations Refugee Agency. The majority are from South Sudan, mostly women and children who fled the country due to ongoing conflict and economic hardship. 

With eight computers, a printer and a generator, training spaces buzzed with curiosity. For many, it meant typing their first email; for others, it was discovering opportunities online.

Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Episcopal Area expressed gratitude for the partnership and said it demonstrates what can happen when people of goodwill invest in the potential of young people.

“This project is more than digital literacy. It is about restoring hope, developing confidence and helping young people recognize that God has given them gifts and abilities that can be developed for the good of their families, churches and communities.”

The project was designed to reach multiple communities where church members are now living. It began in the Rhino Camp Settlement in Siripi Zone, focusing on two United Methodist congregations for two months. It then moved to Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Yumbe District for another two months, before concluding in the Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Terego District.

The mobile approach ensured that the project touched diverse communities, including refugees and host populations, creating bridges of learning and fellowship.

“When a young person learns how to use a computer, communicate responsibly online, prepare documents, access educational resources and explore legitimate opportunities, we are helping to widen the possibilities for his or her future,” Wandabula said, stressing that knowledge and technology must be used responsibly.

The Rev. Faustino Duku, dean of district superintendents for the South Sudan United Methodist Church, expressed gratitude for the project.

“Previously, access to computers was limited to the finance office, the dean and the district superintendent. But with this funding, we have received equipment that will help learners acquire knowledge and use it to develop the church in different aspects of life.”

He noted that the project isn’t limited to United Methodist members.

“We are expecting positive impact at the end of the program, which will benefit the church, youths and the community at large.”

The Rev. Kulito Alestsa Samuel, pastor for Ariaze United Methodist Church in the Rhino Camp Settlement, acknowledged both excitement and challenges.

“We open each session with prayer and devotion because it is only God who enables us. We are encouraging our youth and the congregation to participate physically, and I am happy with the excitement among them.”

However, Samuel noted a challenge in that the demand far exceeds the number of computers, so they are requesting more equipment.

“(Learners) are sharing, and others are just watching, waiting for their turn. Power to operate the computers is also insufficient. More solar batteries are needed,” he said.

Instructor Hakim Erezenios Kwenyo echoed similar concerns.

“First‑time learners often fear adapting to digital technology, and learning requires hands‑on practice. It is difficult to give everyone enough time,” he added.

Yet Kwenyo remains grateful for the project and hopeful for its future.

“My wish is that within this short time, learners should be able to type something, do something on the computer. All are passionate about learning, and that passion makes me believe transformation is possible.”

Student Kenneth Caesar shared his experience.

“The Youth Digital Literacy Project has improved our communication skills through sharing online and created chances of employment. It was exciting to learn more about computers. I now know the monitor, mouse, keyboard and CPU.”

He said that typing speed is still a challenge, but he is improving.

“This skill will help us in the church to create and type verses for children, archive them and refer to them later,” he said. “It has also helped us at home, opening employment opportunities and improving the standard of living in the community.”

Tabu Cecilia Simon, one of the learners, expressed her gratitude for the program that has transformed lives in Rhino Camp.

“Through the knowledge gained from the training, I feel I am now part of the larger world. It also gives me hope and a plan for the future,” she said.

“I can print hymn books, and I am also in a position to teach others in the community — including my family — who still have no idea about computers. With these skills, I can be employed and support my whole family,” she said.

Wandabula hopes that the project’s modest initial costs will lead to replication in other communities and opportunities that multiply beyond the original beneficiaries.

“I particularly commend the young people themselves for embracing this opportunity to learn and grow. My hope is that the 50 young people participating will not simply become beneficiaries, but ambassadors of knowledge and service — sharing what they learn with their peers, churches, families and communities,” he said.

“Ultimately, this project reminds us that investing in young people is investing in the future of both the church and society. When we give young people skills, values, opportunities and a sense of purpose, we are not simply preparing them to find opportunities; we are preparing them to create opportunities for others.”

Daniel is superintendent of the Koboko District and lead communicator of the South Sudan and Koboko District of The United Methodist Church in Uganda refugee camps. Chingwe is a communicator for the Zimbabwe East Conference.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer at [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.