Madau, a researcher for the Bridge Network, has recently been involved in the World Food Program’s ‘Measuring Safety and Security’ project, as well as projects with the London School of Economics, including hunger and safety in South Sudan.

This research, for Madau, is very significant, as he explains it ‘allows the policy makers or the government to be aware of the problems we reveal. When we conduct the research we perceive hidden problems, which policy makers are able to look into and accommodate the solution’.

Madau’s past experiences and qualifications endow him with the ability to research effectively and produce constructive outcomes. He obtained a master’s in research and is a practicing researcher. Madau also explained that the theoretical knowledge from the research pathway he got from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) has prepared him in analysing both quantitative and qualitative data.

His passion for research partially arises from the interconnectedness it brings, he explains that ‘this network is so meaningful to me because I can interact with different people… it gives dynamic interactions between people’. Moreover, the fact that the Bridge Network ‘conducts research in areas of security, sovereignty and hunger in the operating states,’ South Sudan is able to become a safer and more peaceful place to live. Madau highlights this by explaining the importance of generating the data first hand; ‘we don’t rely on the online information; we go to the field to get the real information and then can present reports’ he explains.

In the future, Madau hopes that the Bridge Network will be able to expand beyond the operating states, eventually covering the entirety of South Sudan. This, according to Madau, is possible through international support - ‘the dynamic of conflict in South Sudan is too diverse, and it needs a lot of insight to be conducted. But it is important to have other backup from other places’ .