Built on Survival.
Driven by Purpose.

Chapter One: Childhood Lost

Ten Years Old. Taken to Guard Oil Fields.

Gatkuoth Liah Diu was a former child soldier. As a child of about ten years old, he lived in Block 5A in southern Sudan when the region's oil fields were being established. He was notably featured in historical television footage—which was submitted as evidence in the Swedish court—seen as a young boy guarding the oil facilities and accompanying armed actors.

For years, he survived in conditions that broke most of those around him. He witnessed loss, endured hardship, and carried trauma that would have destroyed many. But he also observed something that would define his future: even in the darkest circumstances, children are remarkably resilient — if given even a single person who believes in them.

Chapter Two: The Road to Freedom

Escape, Recovery, and Rebuilding

After escaping, Gatkuoth began the slow, painful process of rebuilding. He reunited with fragments of his family, accessed education, and found in learning the most powerful form of liberation he had ever known.

It was during this period — sitting in makeshift classrooms, watching children arrive from other conflict areas, all carrying the same hollow eyes he had once worn — that he made a decision: he would dedicate his life to ensuring no child had to face what he faced alone.

Chapter Three: Building ACSS

A Mission Born from Necessity

Gatkuoth established Abandoned Child South Sudan with a single safe house, three staff members, and the fierce conviction that every child deserved better than survival. He brought not just compassion to the work — but intimate, first-hand understanding of what these children needed.

Today, ACSS operates 5 field offices across South Sudan, has helped 5 children, and is recognized as a child protection organization in the state. But Gatkuoth is quick to measure success differently.