Mangateen Residents Graduate from Anti GBV Programme

(JUBA) – A group of community members in Mangateen has graduated as ambassadors for change after completing nine sessions of a Community Conversation and Dialogue initiative aimed at preventing gender based violence.

The programme was led by the ITWAK Women Empowerment Organisation with support from Norwegian Church Aid and Norad.

The group was formed on 1 May 2026. It brought together leaders, women, men, youth and persons with disabilities. The shared goal was to challenge and transform harmful cultural norms that fuel gender based violence.

Over the course of the sessions, participants created a safe and open space to reflect on sensitive issues. These ranged from power dynamics and harmful gender norms to the root causes of violence and practical prevention strategies.

Participants reflected on harmful practices and their impact on the community. They built a deeper understanding of GBV and its root causes. They learned how to become active bystanders and advocates for change. They also developed clear, community driven action plans to prevent GBV.

At their graduation, participants shared a message. They said they are no longer just graduates but change ambassadors within their families, their community and South Sudan.

Mangateen has long faced challenges. Safety concerns and harmful norms have put many, especially women and girls, at risk. The graduation marks a turning point. The graduates are community members committed to transforming Mangateen from a place once marked by risk into a safer and more inclusive community for all.

Norwegian Church Aid has also been active in other areas. The organisation donated 62 white canes and stationery to the Rajaf Education Centre for the Blind. The donation supports visually impaired learners to move and learn with confidence.

The contribution came in response to a fundraising initiative organised by the school under the theme “Keep This Centre Operational Through Your Support.”

The chairperson of the organising committee, James Pitia Gore, commended the Government of Norway and NCA for their sustained support. He noted the centre’s origins with the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted.

In a separate initiative, Norwegian Church Aid has signed a partnership with the Sudan and South Sudan Bishops’ Conference under the Department of Justice and Peace Commission.

The partnership will implement a new peacebuilding project in South Sudan. The initiative will target conflict affected communities in Juba, Yei, Torit and Wau. It will focus on dialogue, inclusion and conflict transformation.

In Tonj North, a women’s cooperative supported by TOCH and NCA South Sudan is growing produce using new seedlings and an installed irrigation yard.

The women sell their produce directly to schools with feeding programmes. The Chairlady, Maria Nyandeng, said the cooperative is making a difference. Members are saving and investing through their village savings and loan association groups.

One member, Rose, said her husband now respects her because she contributes to the family. The cooperative is helping women gain dignity, strengthen families and create lasting change.

In another case, a woman named Susan said she had been living her life crying and at some point considered taking her own life because she felt like a failure to her children. She had been abandoned by her partner and struggled to care for her four children.

A neighbour connected her to the Women and Girls Friendly Space supported by NCA South Sudan. Today she is part of a village savings and loan association group producing and selling peanut butter. She is earning income and rebuilding her life.