In fact, people in my country are unaware of their Rights especially Women and Girls; they face Gender Based Violence on a daily basis. Here in South Sudan, 40 per cent of girls are married before 18. Only 6.2 per cent of girls complete primary school, with 1 out 5 dropping out of secondary school due to early pregnancy. Sadly, issues of Human Rights, Reproductive health, Education and peace building are all challenged.
Harmful cultural practices such as early marriage, early pregnancies still exist in our communities.
High rate of maternal mortality, cases of rape and gender based violence which are threats to health and future of many young girls are also eminent. Because of these, I feel it is my responsibility, not only to raise awareness about the risks of these practices but helping girls to make the right decisions is also my desire. I want to go beyond commitment and intentions and be part of Nation Building.
Unlike other countries, majority of South Sudanese are illiterates. Because of curiosity, I became a journalist and got a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics. With over five years of media practice, I feel this course is part of my step to achieving the desired objectives. Being a practicing journalist, i have the conviction that the experience in this program will give me more confidence to challenge the old deep rooted traditional practices in South Sudan that always places women at the back. Meanwhile, my country in the newest nation in the world and looks up to the United Kingdom to learn lots of things including education, women’s rights and several others to match up with modern governance structure after several years of conflict