A woman in South Sudan’s rural village of Kenyi Payam, Lainya County, is appealing for equal opportunity for collective national development. Feres Dudu Bullen told Radio tamazuj that availing chance for women to participate together with men will make the country become a better place for every citizen including foreign nationals. Feres stressed that for rural women to participate equally with men, there is need for the government to prioritise restoration of peace and women inclusion into Governance process of the country. She made the comments as South Sudan joins the world to commemorate the international rural women day on October 15th 2016, 45. UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon said in his statement marking the day that achieving sustainable development goals would need inclusive participation from women. “The 20130, agenda for sustainable development promises to leave no one behind. To delivery on that, we must help rural women to thrive and to access the support and information they need so that they can fulfil their potential without leaving their communities”-Ban ki-Moon. The 2016 theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: Ending poverty in all its forms”, also has special resonance for rural women. The nexus of limited access to resources, inadequate health care and education, systematic discrimination and barriers to their participation exacerbates their poverty. In developing countries like South Sudan, rural women majority of whom depend on natural resources and agriculture for their livelihoods, make up over a quarter of the total world population. Rural women represent approximately 43 per cent of the agricultural labor force, and produce, process and prepare much of the food available, thereby giving them primary responsibility for food security. Feres says empowering rural women is a pre-requisite to fulfilling the vision of the sustainable goals that aim to end poverty and hunger, achieve food security and empower all women and girls. She added that she has been trained and equipped by the Evangelical Presbyterian church with skills in rural solar electrification. She called on the Government to quickly ensure that there is peace to enable rural women to apply their skills in development. She also called on men to recognise the efforts of women in rural transformation. “We are all equal and what a man can do a woman can also do. I have seen women outside the world they do difficult jobs together with men and I appeal that we need equal participation if we need to build our nation”she added. Last month, the Bishop of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Sudan says insecurity in Yei River state has affected women participation in development.He says the Indian Government has approved a multi-dollar solar pilot project for rural women in South Sudan. The rural solar project has come to a standstill until the security situation improves. Elias appeals for the implementation of the peace agreement to enable rural women move forward in development.