Women help to build the new nation of South Sudan
March 9th, 2012 by Abdullah Ampilan Posted in Gender, South Sudan
Rebecca on her masonry course
As the world celebrated International Women’s Day, many women in the remote rural areas of South Sudan went about their day as normal, unaware of the global day to celebrate the ingenuity and struggles of women. Around 90 percent of women in South Sudan cannot read or write and they face many challenges, yet this does not prevent them from playing active roles in building their newly independent nation and helping to develop their communities. Or from taking on roles traditionally filled by men.
Rebecca recently graduated at the top of her male-dominated class in masonry and carpentry.
Studying at the Don Bosco Vocational Training Centre in the town of Wau, in western Bahr el Ghazal, she is one of very few women to take the course. She now plans to set up her own business and encourage other girls in the community to go to school.
As I work in South Sudan I see many other stories like this – of women breaking down stereotypes and boundaries.
Veronica Amou Mariano – from Kuajok in neighbouring Warrap state – is one of the first women to train to be a water mechanic and now rivals any of the local men in fixing breakdowns of hand pumps and water points.
Like other women who face criticisms and even mockery, Veronica defied social misconceptions about the capacity and role of women in society: “I believe that there will be no more suffering from our community and other communities when hand pumps break down. I have the skill to repair them.”
Elsewhere in Warrap, women are at the forefront of fighting diseases such as diarrhoea and malaria, which kill thousands of people every day worldwide – mostly in Africa. Alihok Makuc has successfully constructed an innovative model latrine (read more here) that has been popularized and replicated among local communities.
Women like these are at the forefront of development in the new South Sudan – not just on International Women’s Day but throughout the year. Oxfam’s work in the country aims to give women more space to make their voices heard, and to make decisions on matters that affect their lives and their communities.
3 Responses to “Women help to build the new nation of South Sudan”
By Joseph Agoth on Mar 13, 2012
That is great to see that women are the first people to show the importances of latrines in South Sudan since the War has affected large not to get access to their needs and freedom
By John Davies on Mar 15, 2012
We wholeheartedly support the employment of women in South Sudan. As the largest private sector employer outside the government, we are constantly looking to employ women in both our guard force and administrative roles. Many of our clients, and in particular the diplomatic clients are delighted to see equal employment opportunity in action in the new country. If only we could recruit more!
By Simon But Gai on Mar 22, 2012
I am very glad that Women are applying the “can do” attitude in their daily lives. keep it up my dear opposition gender.
It is a good news if everyone contributes to the building of the nation. I was the supervisor of Alihok in Monyhot (Oxfam house hold latrine construction) and I know how best women do things.