UNMISS Peacekeepers Teach Wau Women Money-Making Patterns

“I used to sell veggies in the market, but it did not pay well,” says Lucia Richard Ujang, a 35-year-old widow and a mother of three children. “Today I have been awarded a sewing machine for best performance during the training”.

Ms. Ujang is talking about a six-week-long tailoring course offered to some 30 women in Western Bahr-el-Ghazal State, organized by the Ministry of Gender and Bangladeshi troops serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

“I am proud of what I have achieved, and now I am going to set up a shop in my house and offer tailoring services to earn enough money to send my children to school,” Ms. Ujang says with a winning smile.

In fact, she is illustrating the purpose of conducting the training: to give women an additional option to make a living on their own by teaching them how to cut and design patterns, sew and knit.

Like many other of the trainees, Anjolina Joseph did not have the money required to finish school.

“I was lucky to be selected for this opportunity. Learning new skills raises the chances of women to become more financially independent, which will benefit not only the individuals but the country as a whole,” she said, adding that she is also considering opening her own tailoring business.

The Bangladeshi Lieutenant Colonel Jahangir Alam explained that the training is part of the peacekeepers’ activities to promote peacebuilding in the state.

To make their efforts more long-lasting, the contingent handed over three sewing machines to the Ministry of Gender, thus enabling them to train more women in the area.

© Press Release 2021