Victoria Bullen stands tall in her fraternity, being the first woman porter, commonly referred to as ‘blocker,’ in the Western Equatoria State capital Yambio, in a profession that is considered a male bastion. The mother of six who took up the work 15 years ago says she does the heavy lifting to educate and feed her children.
Radio Tamazuj caught up with Victoria and sounded her out about her work, family life, and aspirations.
Below are edited excerpts:
Q: Can you tell us your name and what inspired you to join this menial work?
A: My name is Victoria Bullen and I live here in Yambio. I want to tell the people why I joined this work. There is nothing that forced me into this kind of work only that I realized that in South Sudan women only work with their male counterparts in offices and other government jobs. I saw here in our Yambio market that only men were working as blockers and there were no women. So, I went to them to investigate what additional powers or energy they (men) were using for the work that prevented women from doing it. That is precisely why and how I joined the work of blockers (porters). I wanted to show all women in Yambio that they can also do the jobs that men do instead of sitting idle at home.
Q: For how many years have you done this work?
A: Fifteen (15) years.
Q: What are the challenges you face in this wearisome work?
A: In this line of work, you do not work with one item, there are many items involved. You might offload or load metal objects, cement, and other heavy packages. You will see how other blockers struggle with the items they have to carry but I am now used to it because I am doing it for my children and I can pay their school fees. I am not educated so I cannot get an office job.
Q: How do you feel as the only female blocker working among men?
A: I feel both good and bad because when I am working and people pass by, they get surprised and stop to ask how this woman is doing this heavy work. This is what I face. Some call me to ask why I joined the work. I tell them there is nothing wrong with the work and that I only offer myself to do the same work that other men are doing.
Q: How do you compare your strength and energy to that of your male colleagues?
A: When I started I had no strength because I was just learning but now there is no load that the men carry which I cannot manage. I carry the same load as the men. We carry boxes of nails, bags of cement, 50kg bags of beans and so many other items.
Q: How many trucks can you offload or load in a day?
A: In a day, I can offload two semitrailers. I cannot go up to five trucks because I have no strength to do that in a single day.
Q: Has there been a day you got so tired at work that you felt like quitting?
A: Yes it used to happen. On the days when I am exhausted, or sick or if something else is wrong, they will place someone to work in my place. The wages will be divided between me and the person who has done my work.
Q: How has this work impacted or changed your life?
A: It has not changed my life but it has helped me because I have six children all of whom I have sent to school, fed, and taken to the hospital from the wages I earn. I love the work but it does not mean that I will not leave it someday. For now, it helps me a lot.
Q: Have any other women joined you in your line of work?
A: In all these years women do come to learn the work I am doing but most of them ran away after trying it for a few days. However, I brought a woman who has been with me on the job as an apprentice for two years. She was given chances to learn the work and do it. So now we are two women in this line of work.
Q: With your kind of work, how is your relationship with your husband, children, and other family members?
A: My husband is at home and I live with him in his house. I came from his house to search for a job and I found this job. He has not said anything against my job and it has not affected our marriage. I have not done anything wrong and my work has been helping with our daily needs at home.
Q: Since you started the work, is there anyone who has supported or encouraged you to continue?
A: Some people encourage me and say that what I am doing is good and better than resorting to begging and or illegal acts like stealing. I also advise women that it is better to work and earn than begging.
Q: What message do you have for the women in Yambio and South Sudan who depend entirely on their husbands?
A: My sisters, my message to you all is that if you are living without doing any work, no man will live with you and treat you as a wife. You have to learn to do things with your hands because even if you are living in someone’s house, he also needs to know what you are doing to earn money. Are you depending only on him for everything? Are there things you are doing that can help him too? My message is that both men and women must work to help their families.
Q: What is your message to the husbands across South Sudan who stop their wives from doing the kind of work you are doing?
A: I do not know what I can tell such men who refuse their wives to work. What I know in my mind is that one of the reasons some men stop their wives from working is because some women, after getting a good job and earning money, leave the husband they married when they were poor. I am advising such women to stop such behavior.
Q: How many of your family members do you support?
A: As I said, I have 6 children whose school fees I pay. My firstborn is in now senior four. I only have one sister but we have many relatives from the side of our father and mother who we help in times of need such as during funerals and sickness.
Q: What is your average daily wage?
A: It depends on the day and number of trucks. Some trucks may have heavy loads but the pay could be small. The owner may plead with us to help and offload the truck. This is why we do not have a fixed estimate of a daily wage or earnings. When there is work, I get about SSP 30,000 and if the market is slow, I can make 20,000 in a day. If I offload many trucks, I can make up to SSP 40,000.
Q: Have there been instances when your male colleagues harass or mistreat you?
A: No! There have not been any cases of mistreatment because the men know me and I am the only woman among them so they help me. If anyone among us is not feeling well, they bring another person to help with the work. The men do not overload me with work.
Q: What are the challenges in your work that you want to bring to the attention of the government?
A: The people in government know everything about this work. They see me every day. Whether it is good or bad, they are the ones who can see and try to help.
Q: Thank you for talking to us today and sharing your experiences. What message do you want to share with the people of South Sudan and the world?
A: What I want to tell them is that I am the only female blocker here in Yambio so if there is a place where no female is working in town as a blocker, they should raise a complaint to the authorities. I should not be the only female blocker. I wish to hear that more women are joining the work of blockers in Maridi, Yei, Juba, and other places.