As one of its quick impact projects, UNMISS is financing the construction of a dormitory at Rumbek National Secondary School. Photo: UNMISS/Eric Kanalstein
For the young women of Rumbek, education is a lifeline.
It offers them a chance to escape the cycle of violence in South Sudan and reach their full potential. However, they struggle to learn amidst ongoing conflict and the dire economic situation, which puts pressure on them to contribute to their families’ efforts to survive.
“For us girls, when we stay at home, we have a lot of work to do but, if we are at school, we have a safe place to stay where we are encouraged to read and learn more,” says Mary Cholok Mayom, a student at Rumbek National Secondary School.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan is rebuilding a damaged dormitory at the school so that the girls have somewhere safe to stay and study. It has also erected a fence to ensure they are safe from external threats.
“These children were not in school in large numbers because of revenge killings,” says the Western Lakes Minister for Education, Dut Makoi Kuok. “Some people used to come from outside trying to kill them so we talked to the United Nations office and, under civilian protection, they put a fence up.”
The UN Mission is also supporting efforts to bring news to the people of Rumbek by providing solar panels for a local radio station so it can broadcast messages of peace.
“We used to rely on generators and our generator is not functioning now,” says the director of Radio Rumbek. “It used to be on and off so now, with these solar panels, we are going to experience a sigh of relief from our issue of power cuts.”
While the security situation in Rumbek is relatively calm, people are suffering from extreme poverty. About 80 per cent of the population in the region earn a living by raising cattle, which are a source of food for their families and a symbol of wealth and prestige. However, the scarce water and grazing resources has led to some of the bloodiest conflict in the country.
“The problem here is the intercommunal tensions and violence that have claimed the lives of so many people,” said David Shearer, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, during a visit to Rumbek. “It is not so much anything to do with the political violence. It is more a continuation of revenge killings and attacks around cattle. We are trying to put a lot of emphasis around reconciliation and trying to build the relationship between these groups so we take away the reason for fighting so that people can get on with farming and tending their livestock.”
Many people in Rumbek own guns to protect their families and livestock although others use weapons to commit crime driven by economic deprivation and intercommunal tension.
The proliferation of weapons among civilians has led to many deaths so local authorities are undertaking what they describe as a voluntary disarmament process.
“The disarmament process is going well,” said Western Lakes Governor, Lois Agum Ruben. “We are getting people back to their villages to continue with their normal life.”
A normal and peaceful life is something all the women of Rumbek crave as they work towards a better future for themselves and South Sudan.