Community Care Programme helps women protect each other from Gender Based Violence
UNICEF supports women’s groups who create awareness about and prevent gender-based violence, and build their skills on income generation activities
Aweil, South Sudan – “The first thing we do when we learn a woman is in trouble at home, is to talk to her husband,” says Bakhita Ahok Deng, a mother of four. “When we talk to the husband, he knows right away we can call the police on him, and we can also summon the village elders to intervene,” says Deng. There are nods of approval from the assembly of 24 other ladies.
We are visiting the Women and Girls Friendly Space in Aweil, supported by UNICEF South Sudan, and managed by Alight, a partner that oversees the Community Care Programme. The community care centre provides recreational activities for women; one-on-one case management and psychosocial counselling for women and girls suffering from gender-based violence, including referral of survivors; and skill-building activities such as knitting, bead-making, and embroidery.
Gender based violence against women and girls is common in South Sudan; at least 50 per cent of women have reportedly experienced violence from their intimate partner. UNICEF is committed to fighting gender-based violence, and programmes like this are key to helping women and girls.
“I am a grandmother and I have raised eight children. So, I tell the young men and women about my experiences and how they must work together to raise a family,” says Angelina Atong, a 57-year-old grandmother. With amazing dexterity, she deftly pushes the knitting needles through the patchwork table-coaster she’s crafting in the design of a South Sudanese flag.
“Our job is to educate the younger generation and to guide them because once people become knowledgeable, they can easily understand between right and wrong,” says Atong.
The community care programme was initiated in 2017 in Aweil. Today the centre has 16 different groups, with 25 members each. These women - and sometimes even men - use the premises twice a week to meet with each other and discuss issues and share experiences on combating gender-based violence within their community. They also use this opportunity to continue to work on their embroidery, their bead necklaces and their knitwear.
Over the last four years, this centre has gained a reputation for producing ornamental embroidered bedsheets which are bought for marriage ceremonies, and bead necklaces and bracelets and knitted tablecloths and table coasters. Every woman who produces something, get a large share of the profit from each individual item they have crafted, and it supplements their income.
“For many of the women and girls, this is a second home – where they are free for a couple of hours to laugh and gossip, and at the same time to build their skills and to make some supplemental income,” says Laura Abuk, who is a gender-based violence case social worker. She says that during the last four years she has seen a dramatic change in the attitudes and noticed increased confidence among the women.
“There is much more awareness about gender-based violence about women’s rights. And because of our network, women are not afraid to speak up or refer someone who might be a victim of gender-based violence,” says Abuk.
Once they identify a victim, the gender-based social workers jump into action. If someone is hurt, they take her to the hospital for treatment, provide counselling and offer membership into one of the groups – and then over the weeks, train them and build their skills. The gender-based violence programme in South Sudan is supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund which seeks to prevent and respond to instances of gender-based violence and to empower women and build their capacity and confidence through skill-building activities.
Today, this merry group of women could easily be mistaken for a weekly meeting of old friends; they display the necklaces and bracelets and embroidered sheets they have produced. They laugh and joke among themselves.
“We are like sisters now,” says Ms. Deng, “and as women – we look out for each other.”
UNICEF is thankful for its donors supporting the gender-based violence programme, including European Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW Development Bank, the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and USAID.
