Finding Her Voice, Leading Against the Odds in South Sudan

Awrelia knows what it’s like to be silenced. 

Born into a family that didn’t believe in educating girls, she was kept home while her brothers went to school. Only when she moved to Khartoum with her uncle did she get a chance to study, though not for long. “One of my relatives scolded me just for going to school. Later, I was forced into marriage at 14. I fought to finish primary school, but I couldn’t go any further.”

Even so, she never gave up on education – especially for her children. “I hope someday they become responsible and successful women leaders. Things must change for girls.”

In South Sudan, where conflict and deeply entrenched gender norms have shaped life for generations, change is slow – but women like Awrelia are leading it with strength and determination. A widowed mother of eight, she has spent years raising her children alone, often under difficult and uncertain conditions. “Their father died when they were very young. My eldest son was still in primary school. Since then, I’ve struggled to raise them without help.”

In everyday life, she’s constantly navigating complex family dynamics, scarcity, and stigma – yet she has kept going. “People expect us to endure silently. Even when women try to seek help, no one responds.”

In many public spaces, the challenges are even greater. Awrelia describes how women are often dismissed and disrespected by men. “They call us just mere women. I used to stay quiet. I was afraid to speak up.”

Awrelia had already been leading in her own way – fighting for her children’s education and holding her family together. That personal strength deepened when she joined a women’s leadership training organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Wau, with support from the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).

That training, part of IOM’s gender-transformative recovery programming, is just one piece of a much larger, locally driven effort to strengthen women's leadership. Across South Sudan, women's groups and grassroots movements have long been laying the groundwork for change. The five-day course builds on that momentum – offering women space to reflect, learn, and grow together. 

“I learned that leadership means treating people equally, solving problems, and being patient,” she says. “The training gave me courage. Now I stand up to those who used to intimidate me. I know I can lead.”

She brought that confidence back to her community. Her local women’s group had nearly collapsed. “We had stopped meeting, but I brought the group back together. Now we hold regular meetings and support one another.”

Though they lack funding for income-generating activities like sewing or catering, the group offers a different kind of strength: solidarity. “Some of us still can’t even sign our names. We want to learn. We want to stand on our own. But even without money, we lift each other in hard times and celebrate together in good ones.”

In some displacement-affected areas of South Sudan, women head up to 80 per cent of households. Their leadership is essential to making sure support reaches families in ways that truly meet their needs. When women are empowered to lead, communities are stronger, and long-term solutions like stable housing, livelihoods, and access to services are more likely to succeed.

Since the initiative began in 2022, nearly 1,400 women from internally displaced, returnee, and host communities across five locations have taken part in the training. Many have gone on to lead peer groups, help resolve local conflicts, and speak up for women’s rights in places where their voices were once ignored.

In Wau, Bentiu, Malakal, and other areas where IOM runs the programme, more women are stepping forward. Those who once stayed silent now speak up at meetings, support survivors of violence, and build strong networks to share experiences and grow together.

Facilitators – many of them displaced women themselves – are becoming trusted leaders. “People come to us for advice and support,” said one. “We teach women about their rights, and they listen.”

Awrelia has seen the shift in how she’s perceived. “People recognize me now. At a meeting with chiefs and women leaders, I was called out and honored. That meant a lot to me. The women I lead respect me, and I respect them.”

Still, she knows more is needed. “I wish every woman could attend this training. We try to share what we’ve learned, but it’s not enough. We need more support. More opportunities for women to lead.”

From homes to community halls, South Sudanese women like Awrelia are finding their voices and reshaping what the future can look like – for their daughters, their families, and their country.