SBS Dateline | Building the Nation

It was a difficult birth following decades of civil war, but now the celebrations are over and the world’s newest nation of South Sudan is facing an equally difficult upbringing.

Conflict remains with Sudan, which disputes the oil-rich Abyei region on the border between the newly-divided countries.

And reporter Yalda Hakim sees for herself the lacks of basics like roads, schools and healthcare services, which will slow its development.

But there’s also a new generation of South Sudanese children, who are too young to remember the conflict and a major hope for the future, and Yalda meets South Sudanese Australians, who’ve returned to help rebuild their country.

So how will South Sudan cope with the growing challenges ahead?

WATCH - Click to see Yalda’s report.

BEHIND THE SCENES - Yalda talks about some of the challenges her and the Dateline team faced filming in South Sudan. You can also find more of Yalda's photos on her Facebook page.

EXTRA - Follow the links under 'resources' on the right-hand side for information on some of the groups that Dateline worked with in South Sudan, including Plan and Save the Children.

PHOTO GALLERY - See more images of the celebrations of South Sudan's independence.

FACTFILE - Read more about South Sudan and the background to the country's split from the north.

REPLAY - Watch Yalda's recent story, Independence Day, from the midst of the celebrations of South Sudan's creation.

WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA - Visit SBS News's special site covering South Sudan's new independence, including an SBS Radio interview with Yalda about her story.

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