Flora is a learner in our Literacy Education and Gender Based Violence Programme in South Sudan. Her progress is an encouraging example of how the programme is helping to #AccelerateAction.
Flora says, “When I started, I didn’t know the abc in local dialect. I didn’t know there was a capital letter and small letter, and the difference. After this teaching, I can even read the Bible. I can read it slowly and now understand it.”
Watch Our Impact video of what we achieved as a global movement in 2022.
Mothers’ Union works in a number of prisons in a variety of ways - knitting hats for the prisoners, supporting families and running crèches.
During Covid, the visits to prisons had to cease completely due to lockdown both for MU members and visitors, which was a struggle for family relationships. Once visits were permitted again, physical contact was still not allowed due to social distancing, which was a continued strain on the prisoners and their families. Children were not able to hug or have physical touch with their parent in prison.
We use it on a day to day basis without even noticing, from reading a telephone number, shopping for everyday essentials or even following recipes. Imagine not being able to do any of those tasks. Often we take numeracy for granted and don’t even realise.
She finished her facilitator training in 2007 and has been involved in community parenting and prison work since then. She said about the starting of the programme, “I started doing this work when my sons were about the same age as those in the prison. I was acutely aware that there but for the grace of God go I. Many have had difficult lives and no life chances”. Jackie works with at least one other person to deliver the course. Two new helpers have recently joined her, which she says is wonderful.
The programme first started in Khartoum in 2000. It gradually finally into all five dioceses of Sudan in 2019. MU Sudan undertook the training of MU Coordinators to become literacy trainers as planned in April 2019 in Port Sudan in the north of the country. Six women were trained – one each for Port Sudan, Kadugli, Wad Medani, El Obeid and two for Khartoum. Each diocese has now trained 10 volunteer literacy facilitators who facilitate a group of 25 illiterate women in a literacy circle.
(Article originally published in Connected Spring 2022)
Supporting prisoners and their families
People suspected that this woman had dementia. Elsa discussed this with the vicar, and began befriending this woman – visiting her and picking her up to take her to mid week communion. As their relationship developed, Elsa asked this lady to help volunteer cleaning the church. A year later, this woman who everyone suspected was suffering from dementia, shared that if it wasn’t for Elsa, she would probably be dead. She had been isolated and depressed, and was also having suicidal thoughts. Elsa’s friendship and encouragement had helped her to regain a sense of purpose.
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Mothers’ Union has “consultative status” at the United Nations (ECOSOC), which means that we are able to both submit a statement in advance, and send a delegation.
