Gondokoro Women Break Barriers, Advance Leadership and Economic Empowerment

By Jenifer James

Women in Gondokoro Island, Central Equatoria State, say leadership and economic empowerment initiatives are helping them challenge long-standing gender norms, although gender-based violence, domestic violence and inheritance rights remain significant concerns.

Dorothy Drabuga, Executive Director of Women Foundation for Humanity (WFH), said the initiatives have helped women organize themselves into a group with elected leaders, challenging traditional perceptions that women cannot hold leadership positions.

She made the remarks during an experience-sharing session with women from Gondokoro Island following training on gender-based violence (GBV).

Drabuga said the programme provided participants with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences, challenges, achievements and the way forward.

“When we came to this island, everything was controlled by men. But we decided to form a women’s group here,” Drabuga said.

She said the group had elected a chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary, treasurer and mobilizer to coordinate its activities and represent women in community engagements.

Drabuga described the establishment of the women-led structure as an important step toward challenging the belief that leadership positions should be reserved for men.

“I remember some women told me they know that a woman cannot become a chief, and a woman cannot become a leader. That is wrong,” she said.

She cited examples of women serving as chiefs and quarter council leaders in other communities as evidence that women can effectively undertake leadership responsibilities.

Drabuga also commended the chairperson of the Gondokoro women’s group for representing its members during an experience-sharing dialogue in Juba, where women leaders from various groups presented their activities.

“I am very proud and happy to say that the chairperson here was able to talk about what women of Gondokoro are doing. This is a great achievement,” she said.

Beyond leadership, Drabuga said women on the island had also received training in liquid soap production as part of efforts to strengthen their skills and promote economic empowerment.

She urged the participants to use the dialogue to assess the challenges they continue to face, recognize their achievements and identify practical steps for the future.

The discussions focused on experiences of gender-based violence, domestic violence and inheritance rights, alongside progress in women’s organization, leadership and skills development.

Drabuga said the dialogue would also allow women to reflect on lessons learned from an earlier experience-sharing meeting and agree on the way forward for women on Gondokoro Island.

Meanwhile, Martin Ladu, Chief of Monenyit Boma in Gondokoro Island, expressed appreciation for the organization’s efforts to educate community members about their rights.

Ladu also raised concerns about increasing insecurity in the area, which he partly attributed to the growing use of illicit drugs among young people.

“We are facing a lot of challenges, one of which is the increasing number of crimes caused by drugs taken by our children. These drugs, including ice and ‘5’, are damaging our children,” Ladu said.

He estimated that about 10 young people had experienced severe mental health disturbances associated with drug use in a community of more than 6,000 people.

Ladu said the drugs were allegedly being brought from Juba to the island, raising concerns among community leaders about their growing availability and impact on young people.