A local organization, Citizens Action for Peace and Development Organization (CAPDO), last weekend in Maridi County of Western Equatoria launched the School Mothers program to help girls who drop out of school due to pregnancies go back to school.
According to CAPDO, out of 1,200 girls who registered in Primary 8 earlier in the year, only 700 reported back after schools were partially reopened due to the COVID-19 lockdown. This means 500 girls have dropped out of school due to various factors including early marriages and pregnancies.
CAPDO's managing director Phillip Ngaria told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that they aim at educating girls on the importance of education and how they can protect themselves from early marriage, pregnancy, and rape.
“That is why we started the campaign so that either by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, the pupils can return to school,” Ngaria said.
“My message to the girls in South Sudan is they should put their attention to education because the struggle we are doing is not for our future but their future. They are the ones who will get the benefit of education, so if they get the one who can sponsor them to school they should not play around and think of other things,” he added.
Wilson Jamal Juma, the deputy headteacher of Hillside Primary School in Maridi said his school had about 200 registered girls but only 19 reported back after easing the lockdown.
“The number we registered before COVID-19 was big, about 200 girls, now who have only 19 who have returned. So those who are pregnant can return to school after they deliver because this is not the end of their education.” Juma said.
Amona Lydia Sallah, a Primary 8 pupil at Hillside school in Maridi County said after coming back to school she found most of her friends were absent.
“They should advise us because we are their children and also to the girls who are pregnant that they should come back to school and should not think this is the end of life because we still need them back to school,” Amona said.
According to COPDA, the project targeted all the schools in Maridi and Ibba Counties and it will run for three months.
Maridi County has recorded several rape and defilement cases this year.