Uganda, April 8 -- When Justine Ayek Bol fled violence in South Sudan's Upper Nile State in 2018, arriving at Palabek refugee settlement in northern Uganda with his wife and four children, he believed the worst was behind him.

For a time, it was.

But eight years later, survival has taken on a different, quieter brutality - one marked by hunger, psychological strain, and a slow erosion of dignity.

"I returned to find my wife in a terrible state," Ayek said, recalling a recent visit after spending nearly a year back in South Sudan trying to earn a living. "She developed a psychological disorder due to the unbearable situation they were living in."

His wife has since been relocated to Gulu City for treatment, leaving behind a family grap...