One Climate and Society Student’s Journey of Resilience

Growing up in the floodplains of the White Nile in South Sudan, Anyieth Philip Ayuen witnessed the devastating effect of flooding on his region and its people year after year. From a young age, Ayuen dreamed about what he could do to reduce the impacts of climate-induced disasters and to better prepare for them.

When civil war broke out in South Sudan, Ayuen was forced to relocate to Uganda as a refugee. But despite the trying conditions around him, Ayuen did not lose sight of his goals. “I felt then like there was much to be done to tackle the climate crisis,” he says. “Africa suffers even though it doesn’t contribute so much to global warming like industrialized countries.”

He received a scholarship from the U.N. Refugee Agency to complete a B.S. in agriculture and crop science from Bugema University in Uganda, worked for Sun4Water to help train local farmers on solar-powered irrigation systems and co-founded Dongriin Foundation, a refugee-led organization providing sustainable education, mentorship and financial support to refugee students. 

Now, Ayuen has been selected by both the Columbia Climate School and Columbia World Projects as one of six students to win a Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students. As he enters the Climate and Society M.A. program, Ayuen reflects on his path, the obstacles he overcame to get here and his vision for the future.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background, and what has inspired you to work in climate?

I am from South Sudan, the youngest country in the world. I was born in a place that is located around this Sudd region, the largest wetland in Africa, just along the Nile River. Every year when the rains reach 1600mm to 2000 mm in Uganda, it floods because it is located in a turbulent plateau region where the grounds are so flat and the altitude is so low. That created some curiosity in me when I was young—that there is something to this disaster that we are not seeing, and that it can be controlled. Looking to the future, I felt I needed to do something about this, and about agriculture, environment and climate change.

But when South Sudan broke into a civil war, I left the country. I have been in Uganda for about 10 years now as an asylum seeker.

And during that time, you managed to successfully complete a university degree. What happened after that? 

After I completed my degree in agriculture and went back to the refugee settlement, I thought I would begin a new life of self-reliance and independence. I founded an enterprise where I was supposed to practice farming and sell farm produce on a relatively small but commercial basis. I operated a 10-acre farm, where I planted sesame, beans, maize and other crops.

We have two seasons in Africa: the dry season and wet season. It is all about timing because there’s not much weather forecasting and farmers don’t have any information about how the climate is going to be. All they know is traditionally we are supposed to grow at this period of time, and crops are supposed to be ready in this period of time.

So I followed that tradition. I planted sesame in the beginning of August at the onset of rain and waited for some time, then planted some of the other crops. One of the things that hit me so badly was the increasing rainfall distribution, where we received rainfalls of about 1500 to 1900 millimeters [about 59 to 75 inches] in October. It was the first time we received so much rainfall in October, and it continued up to December. It really affected all the yields and harvests. I lost everything I had and it took me aback.

This is the moment where I felt I should take a break from farming and think about having a career in climate as a solution to the problems that we face in the agri-food system, in renewable resources, in our water management, to the problems we face as a society. I looked for an opportunity to study in one of the world-renowned universities, Columbia University, and I take pride in that. I hope I will be useful in the near future to tackle the climate crisis in relationship with food, agriculture, environment and renewable resources.

What are you most looking forward to learning in the Climate and Society program?

I am very interested in learning about agri-food systems, or how food is affected by climate and how food affects the climate. I’m also very interested in learning about climate adaptation and disaster management because these challenges are not going to be ending; it’s continuing and we have to make this society recover from it.

I want to take the lead in designing sustainability policy, and to be discussing issues on the global stage related to tackling climate crisis, and on some of the policies that can be used by stakeholders to tackle the climate crisis across our world. I want this degree to equip me with comprehensive knowledge in climate adaptations, dynamics, resilience, disaster management and agri-food systems.

The climate crisis has become a global challenge where we all need to come together. Each and every one in the new class of 2024 has a particular story on why they came and chose a career in climate and society.

Was there anything else you wanted to share?

I have a story that can inspire. After the war, I became a refugee, and in the settlement there was so much imposter syndrome, where you feel that you are not good enough to continue with education. Also there was a lot of trauma. I have lived in an environment where people are so violent; where people don’t think anything good could come out of that environment. That created a bit of self-doubt over the years that I am not good enough to do certain things, that my parents are not good enough to take me to school.

But I kept listening and talking to people who encouraged me and I felt motivated. I began going to school. I completed my Uganda Advanced Level of Education at the high school in the Bidibidi Refugee settlement and eventually became the top of the class. Without an agriculture teacher, I had to teach myself for the advanced level certificate in agriculture. I received a UNHCR scholarship to go to the university in Kampala and currently I have a bachelor of science in agriculture.

From there, I struggled. I knew I needed to get out and see the perspective of the world from outside and I was trying to be the first in my family to go for a master’s degree. I was already a first-generation college student. The rest of my family members didn’t study. Some of them are now in primary or secondary schools, but I am the only one who has attained a degree. I always wanted to take the lead and set an example for my family and for the refugees that will feel inspired by this story all over the world. Despite of the challenges, seeing me come to New York and join Columbia University is an inspiration to them and the generation to come.

I know where I came from and where I am now—a completely different kind of life. It’s a journey of resilience and of facing the challenges and adversities of life and overcoming them.