In the cattle camps of South Sudan, children do most of the work. These photographs show what that looks like
Roberto Pazzi’s series has won the professional People category of the 1839 Awards
Photographer Roberto Pazzi captured the daily life of children in South Sudan's cattle camps in a series titled "A Childhood Between Cattle and Dust." The images, which have won the professional People category at the 1839 Awards 2026, showcase the harsh reality of childhood in this semi-nomadic ethnic group of around 70,000 to 100,000 people.
The Mundari people, living near Terekeka north of Juba, rely heavily on herding cattle. The children are primarily responsible for collecting and drying dung, piling it for mosquito repellent, and applying the ash to their bodies and the cattle. Pazzi emphasizes the low sun during dawn and dusk, using it to highlight the dust and smoke from the dung piles, which catch the light and create a soft, golden glow.
The children, surrounded by the massive horns of their cattle, are the focal point of every frame, never alone but always intertwined with their environment.
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