South Sudan: “I can now express my thoughts confidently…”

By Fedice Karimi, Communications Officer, Women Agency for Resilience and Transformation (WART), South Sudan

 

“I was always worried and kept my problems to myself,” Nyajang Kuony Kham recalled. “I feared speaking in front of other women because I thought I would be judged or disrespected.”

For Nyajang and her six children, conflict, displacement, economic hardship and recurring floods have made life in Thoarnhuom Payam (an administrative division) in Unity State, difficult.

But all that changed in May this year when Nyajang joined the Women and Girls Friendly Space, managed by WART, to support women in Thoarnhuom Payam in Panyijiar County. 

Through regular psychosocial support sessions and group discussions, Nyajang meets with other women facing similar challenges, and together they share experiences and encourage one another to keep moving forward despite the hardships they face.

The 32-year-old has cared for her children alone since her husband disappeared during the conflict in 2013.

“I have waited for many years without knowing what happened to my husband. Sometimes I still think about him and wonder if he will ever come back,” Nyajang said.