Canadian Aid for Southern Sudan is a human rights and development organization.

Sudan, Africa

London, Ontario, Canada | casscanada.net | cass.can@sympatico.ca

Revenue Canada charitable registration BN: 86394 8212 RR0001

Women's literacy

Women and children in southern Sudan It's long been recognized that women and children are the primary victims of the ongoing civil war. Yet historic and cultural realities exist which impede a woman's ability to be educated, learn a skill and become a leader in her own community. The southern government has asked CASS to assist them in bringing the rights and abilities of women into the mainstream of community life.

CASS has discussed how to best do this with leaders of the women's movement, both in the south of Sudan and in Nairobi, Kenya. The consensus is that the number one requirement for women is equal access to schools and further learning. Women also need to be more involved in peace initiatives throughout the south. And then there is the issue of proper leadership training, something not available to the women of south Sudan in previous times. Finally, there is the need for women to learn skills to support themselves and their families.

A woman outside her village in southern Sudan Owing to the ongoing and brutal nature of the armed conflict, thousands of women have lost their husbands and are forced to depend on family members for support. They must now be provided the opportunity to earn their own living and direct their own future.

Action - Through building school classrooms and providing courses for leadership training, CASS will cooperate with southern leaders to ensure that women claim their rightful role in community and family decisions. CASS's recent establishing of the YWCA in south Sudan will provide young women with a country-wide organization that can assist them in their development.

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