The international agency, Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS), has announced the commencement of the 2024 cash transfers.
GESS made the announcement in a press release sent to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, saying “this year, girls in Primary 7 to Senior 4 will receive a cash transfer, as well as those in the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) levels 3 and 4”.
“For the first time ever, boys who have been identified as having a disability in classes Primary 7 to Senior 4 and learners with disabilities in ALP levels 3 and 4, will be validated to receive a cash transfer,” said the press release.
It quoted Kobi Bentley, the Development Director, British Embassy Juba, saying: “Girls and young people with disabilities are disproportionately excluded from education in South Sudan.
“The cash transfers provided under the GESS help make it easier for these children to enroll in – and to stay in – school and benefit from an education, affording them the opportunity to realize their potential and contribute fully to society and to the development of the country.”
According to the press release, the validation of candidates across the country commenced on July 1. The process entails the verification of the learners who were enrolled and regularly attended the above-mentioned classes, who are added to the payment list.
GESS has implemented various measures to ensure that eligible learners receive the funds through a streamlined process. Upon enrolment through the GESS mobile app, each eligible learner receives a unique ID. This ID is included on their individual Cash Transfer Enrolment Form (CTEF), issued during validation. To qualify for payment later in the year, learners must have matching unique IDs on both the CTEF and the payment list.
Girls were given preference because they still face many barriers to education, such as early and forced marriage and limited access to menstrual health products.
Since 2014, the GESS cash transfers have helped to address the economic and social barriers that stop girls attending school. In 2023, 1.1 million girls were enrolled in primary school, three times as many as when the program began in 2014.
The GESS Programme is funded by the UK government through Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), the government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the US Agency for International Development (USAid), the European Union (EU), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs.