I am less than a week old in a photograph from long ago. I am cradled by my father, whose face is a blur of pure joy and confusion, as if he’s not sure if I’m going to turn out perfect, but even if I don’t it doesn’t matter: he’ll love me all the same. This is unconditional love, from parent to child, and it is what has allowed me to grow and blossom like the wild vibrant flowers of this painting. It is this love that has defined my life, a life filled with patterns and details as intricate as the ones I have painted. And it is the same love that we must give to South Sudan.

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South Sudan is a newborn country, a fledgling yet to find its feet; its future is still unclear, at times almost non-existent. This is a child that needs guidance, support. This is a child that needs a glimmer of hope to hold onto, a hand to hold as it takes its first shaky steps. You can, as my father did with me, as you’ve done with your own children, protect South Sudan, and give it the chance to live. You can be their hope.