Africa Life Aid (ALA) is empowering the women of Eastern Equatoria State’s Magwi County with income-generating activities and livelihoods, besides helping the dropouts return to school.
The target is mostly the victims of gender-based violence (GBV) and school dropouts due to early pregnancies and lack of support.
ALA is a national organization supported by the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and operates in the areas of protection, GBV, food security, and peacebuilding. It was currently focusing on case documentation, supporting the GBV survivors, and income generation.
Magwi-based ALA Protection Officer Nelson Wani Okello said they have this year given out start-up kits like chairs and tables.
He said the chairs were hired to generate income and the women were being trained on table banking during the Sanduk Sanduk (merry-go-round) to consolidate the gains.
He added that their efforts had seen several school dropouts resume studies and their earnings from the group activities would enable them to purchase school materials and other basic needs.
The leader of Lacam Yele, Joska Akumu, said her group received chairs that can be hired and the income saved.
Akumu said their chairs had been hired four times and they had saved over 35,000SSP in their accounts.
She decried the rampant early pregnancies in the area, which, she said, retarded the women’s progress.
“The issue of school children being impregnated is rising. Most girls would prefer education but because their parents were poor, they were easily lured by men just to provide for their basic needs,” she said.
Akumu said more organizations should come on board to conduct awareness to reduce early pregnancies in Magwi.
“It is not all about giving money that will finish the menace. Some of the girls who dropped out were back in school but we need support from more organizations,” she said.
She appealed to both the government and NGOs to continue providing psychosocial support in addition to providing health services and supporting livelihoods.