It is said “the women of United Nations and many of its affiliate organizations consider education as a human right issue, and gender equality in education is essential for sustainable development. As a result the international community has made education in general and girls’ education in particular a priority issues. However, the road to the realization of gender equality in education is still a long and difficult one. There are still traditional pockets of resistance. In addition the low status of women in the wider society, including their under representation in management and decision-making positions in the education field, have a negative impact on efforts to promote girls’ and women education. It is a known fact that higher education institutions play a strategic role in finding solutions to today’s leading challenges in the fields of health, science, education, renewable energies, water management, food security and the environment Education and health-care Initiatives are two key factors which offer solution to combat social, cultural, and economic and health concerns women face in this globally changing environment, as well as the only mode to help promote the participation of women in every segment of development and capacity building in both government and private sector. The 25% allocated for women’s participation at the Comprehensive Peace is represented by well-prepared educated women. Without education, the women will not be able to equally and equitably compete with the men and participate in the current changing and challenging global market fully, which requires a well rounded academic background, and related achievements. South Sudan Institute for Women Education and Leadership takes the challenge to advocate for this segment of population, and hopes to develop short and long term projects to achieve its basic goals for Academic achievement for women and the general health care for both women and children. Causes of Illiteracy: There are many factors that contribute to the higher percentage of illiteracy among southern Sudanese women including but not limited to war, cultures and traditions of early marriages, unprotected sex resulting in child bearing or health concerns HIV/AID, deceased parents. The situation of women merits special attention as that segment of the population has continued to suffer disproportionately throughout two decades of civil war. Although the humanitarian situation has changed following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in
World Bank (1991) statistical estimate for life expectancy at birth among Sudanese women from both north and south was 59.1 to 51.2 a clear reflection of discrepancies between Northern and Southern Sudan. The situation was made worse by the impact of the prolonged conflict. Ms. Lona Elias own words, “The Decades of under-development and conflict have left South Sudanese women…“the poorest of the poor and the marginalized of the marginalized.” Severe gender disparity is manifest in access to education and health and differential life expectancy. Only 5% of births are attended by skilled health staffs and maternal mortality is high”. Therefore, SSIWEL strives to invest in the education of women in the area of health public health and other related fields.
During the two decades of war, while men were tasked to militarily liberate the country, women were left to raise the family, take care of the elderly, and nurture the wounded despite the fact that some women joined the military. They had no opportunity to go to school. Young women born and raised during this period of our history were married young with no education to fend for themselves and families. Most of them married military personnel and had to raise many children alone; lost their husbands during the war and have to raise her children and children of other relatives who passed away without some shoulders to lean on. Education is the only way to help these women recover from these lost opportunities to become economically stable, politically strong and legally and customarily cognizant of their rights in the society. Culture and Traditions Gender roles in southern Women and girls of For the girls who managed to attend school, there were many challenges waiting them in both home and school that hinder their performances such as sexual harassment by male teachers; the monthly periods where they have to stay away from school until it stops because they have no sanitation pads to wear while in public places such as schools. After school, girls are expected to go home and help their mothers with housework, for example, cooking, fetching water from distant streams to bath their siblings and for household use. At the end of the day these girls have no time left for school assignments. After long hours of work both in school and home, they would feel exhausted and ready to sleep. The routine continues every day until the academic year is over. At the end, most girls fail not because they are not intelligent but because of how the society and culture treat them in relation to boys. Women Legal Rights According to United Nations, “… women are central to reconstruction effort in Concerned with lack of education as a barrier for women of SSIWEL seeks to strengthen the capacity of Southern Sudanese women through education at grassroots and national level. Through academic empowerment, the women will be in position to economically and culturally change their status in society by influencing economic, political and social policies that affect and discriminate against women. Women will have the opportunity to read laws and regulations that define their legal rights and seek social justice in an event the laws are used against them. Women account for about 65% of the Sudanese population, and yet they have been intellectually, economically, and politically marginalized throughout the country. Education will strengthen the role of women in leadership, equity and peacemaking, human rights initiatives, political empowerment and awareness in public health issues. Legal and Human Rights in the context of South Sudanese Women: Examining Southern Sudanese women’s legal and human rights in the context of domestic and international human rights law. Despite efforts made to improve women’s unfavorable conditions of gender disparities world-wide through universal conventions and gender equality development programs by international actors women of Intricate of Culture Surrounding Women: Because of the There are many different cultures in Marriage For pastoralists, cows are the centerpiece of diet, trade and religion. Families rely on cows for milk and meat, and sales, for dowries to arrange marriages, and for sacrificial rituals to honor ancestral gods and the spirits of ancestors. Cows are source of prestige, dignity and wealth. Traditionally, Southern Sudanese men enjoy the liberty to marry more than one wife. The number of wives depends on the man’s position and power within the community. Relatives especially parents have the role of choosing a bride or a bride groom for their children according to the status of the families to be consummated in this marital arrangement. A man or a man’s mother can choose a woman or the woman’s family for marriage. |
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education & Leadership Project FOCUS Area
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