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South Sudan Newsletter - March 2017
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This is a regular newsletter about assistance to the people of South Sudan from the American people. In honor of International Women's Day on March 8, this month our stories focus on women and girls.
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Sanitary Facility Promotes Girls’ Class Attendance and Self-Esteem
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To provide protection for girls, increase sanitation and encourage school attendance, USAID supported construction of a latrine in Mingkaman to benefit 300 girls at St. Paul’s Girls Primary School.
Previously, the girls had no option but to use the nearest bush, which exposed them to the risk of sexual assault and caused girls to skip school during menstruation, negatively impacting their education and confidence.
“I would like to thank our community for choosing latrine construction in the school because this will allow girls to come to school and continue with their studies with no obstacle. When we have good sanitary facilities, we are safe from all kinds of risk faced by girls and now we are happy,” said 19-year-old Ayen Mary Garang.
“We did not have confidence in coming to school, we had nowhere to help ourselves and for that we feel very low and see ourselves as hopeless girls," said 12-year-old Amot Eteny Reng. "Now that we have latrine where we can help ourselves and keep our privacy, we feel confident that our self-worth has been restored and we can even do better in school.”
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Students at St. Paul's Girls Primary School in Mingkaman, Awerial County, say this USAID-funded latrine has helped boost their confidence and focus on education. Photo: James Jok
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Female Hand Pump Mechanic Challenges Gender Stereotypes
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Stella Raja, 32, is the first female water hand pump mechanic/technician in her community, a profession that was viewed as male domain
. Raja works in the Jebel community on the outskirts of Juba on a water pump project supported by USAID.
“As a woman, I was being despised by almost everyone that I could not manage to carry those heavy metals. But they started gaining confidence in me after learning that I really can do it just like any other person in the group,” she said.
Empowering Raja helped change her community’s perception of women and their role in society, as she is now considered a role model for other women and girls.
“We thought we could not do the kind of job Raja is doing as we always thought the work is harder to do and it is associated only with men
because they are strong," said Jane Sokale, a 25-year-old community member. "But she has
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Pump mechanic Stella Raja helps repair a borehole in her community of Jebel. Photo: Drijaru Vivian
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motivated us all and we strongly believe we can also do more than what she is doing today. She is our role model in the community.”
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New Radio Station Brings Vital Information to Refugees and Conflict-Affected Communities
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On World Radio Day, February 13, Jamjang 89.4 FM community radio station was launched to serve communities in South Sudan near the Sudan border, including more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees who fled conflict in the Nuba Mountains and settled in the community of Yida or in refugee camps in Pamir and Ajuong Thok. One of the major problems they have faced is lack of information-- they had no access to radio, television, Internet or even telephone networks.
“When I first came to this camp, I came with a radio set but there was nothing to hear. Nothing!” said a refugee from the Nuba Mountains. “We have now a radio that tells us what we need in life.”
During the launch, USAID partner Internews distributed 1,000 solar-powered radios to Jamjang FM listening groups, women, youth, elders and disabled persons, in Yida, Jamjang, Ajuong Thok and Pamir.
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Philip Lukudu in the Jamjang studio. Photo: Internews
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Jamjang FM is supported through a partnership with USAID, the U.S. Department of State and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. It reaches a 70 kilometer radius, helping to connect refugees, host communities and humanitarian agencies.
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Workshop for Education Graduate Students Examines Challenges South Sudanese Students Face
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USAID-supported Master's in Education students at a workshop in Kampala. Photo: Jackline Nasiwa
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USAID and Indiana University are working to strengthen South Sudan’s education sector by helping to empower women and underrepresented ethnic groups, and improving the quality of instruction.
This support recently included a workshop in Kampala for South Sudanese graduate students pursuing a Master of Education in Emergencies.
Topics included opportunities and challenges girls and disabled students face, and the impacts of conflict on learning, how to cope with traumatic experiences, militarization of schools and early marriage.
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Women Editors are Role Models for Leadership
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The Radio Community news and program editors at a training in Kampala, from left: Everlyne Losike of Singaita FM in Kapoeta; Angelina Achol from Mingkaman FM; Joseph Deng from Nhomlaau FM in Malualkon; Aguer Atem from Mayardit FM in Turalei; and Gabriel Chap with The Radio Community Peace Partners program. Photo: Internews
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The Radio Community in South Sudan, a network of community radio stations supported by USAID, joined radio stations around the world to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8. Teams at Singaita FM, Mingkaman 100 FM and Nhomlaau FM were led by women who presented news bulletins and programs throughout the day.
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Angelina Achol, the news and program editor at Mingkaman 100 FM, decided she wanted to be a journalist more than 10 years ago. “Journalism is a good career. When you cover a story that affects a community, people tell you you are the one that let their voice to be heard,” she said. “It wasn't easy in the beginning,” she said. ”I faced a lot of challenges because I had to go and talk to government officials and NGOs. I had to attend community events looking for stories and not everyone thought that was a good job for a woman.”
“As a mother of two daughters, I am advising girls to work hard at school and remember that men and women are equal,” said Everlyne Losike, the news and program editor at Singaita FM in Kapoeta. “Making your career a reality is your role; you need to work hard to achieve your dreams. Who told you it is only men who walk out of the house and go to the office? You can do the same as a woman.”
Both Achol and Losike can see their determination is paying off. "The community is very proud of me and others are already taking me as a role model," says Losike.
”There are people in Northern Bahr El Ghazal who sent their girls to school because of me," said Achol. I was in Kampala recently for an Internews training workshop, and I went to visit the relatives of a male colleague. A woman told me she would tell her daughter to look at me and see how education and a career had made me strong.”
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Community Volunteer Initiative Enhances Early Tuberculosis Detection
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Due to lack of health facilities to detect early symptoms of tuberculosis (TB)—which is one of the major killer diseases in South Sudan—USAID supported a community-based TB control initiative to detect the disease among people showing early symptoms.
Twenty community volunteers known as home health promoters were trained in May 2016 to identify presumptive TB cases at primary health care centres in Kator and Munuki suburbs of Juba. Presumptive TB patients are referred for diagnosis and if found to have TB, they receive the appropriate treatment and are monitored to ensure they complete it and are cured. The home health promoters then follow the confirmed TB patients to their homes and screen all contacts, referring any presumptive case for diagnosis and treatment.
Between June and December 2016, 331 presumptive TB cases were identified and referred by home health promoters, of which 127 (38%) were diagnosed with TB and put on treatment.
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USAID supports early detection of suspected TB infection in South Sudan through volunteer home health promoters. Photo: Awad Bako/Challenge TB
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This community-based approach has been recognized by the Ministry of Health and was recommended as one of the most successful initiatives to spearhead the rolling out of its Boma (village) Health Initiative strategy.
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