Fleeing from war, 55-year-old Angelina Yowin Abwol Deng embarked on a perilous journey from her home in Fit-Hab-Khartoum through Kordofan to reach safety in South Sudan, and is now finding solace and support on her healing journey, through a UNFPA-funded gender-based violence response centre.
Angelina talks about her trip with great emotion: "I was exhausted the entire trip. I left everything in my house in Khartoum. I came in April. I was traumatized. The mere mention of Khartoum sends shivers down my spine, but I am healing, thanks to the group members here at the GBV response centre. We laugh and joke as we counsel ourselves."
In Renk, the gender-based violence response centre supports women and girls who, like Angelina, have fled Khartoum because of the war. Through income-generating activities such as the knitting of tablecloths, bead making and bedsheet weaving, they are creating new lives for themselves and building a supportive community of women.
"We have Dinka, Nuer, and Shilluk, but we do not view each other as if we are from different tribes, we all share the same trials and tribulations, when we gather here at the center, we discuss issues affecting us, talk about violence and family planning, and look for a common solution. Thanks to Hope Restoration for providing us with this space, when we return to our respective homes, we are at ease," Tereza John, another returnee explains.
With support from the United Nations Population Fund-UNFPA and funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the gender-based violence (GBV) response center has become a space where women and girls are allowed to heal and become empowered.
Cash assistance: a way to restore and rebuild
Nyuon Biel Chunky Kor, the gender-based violence response site manager in Renk, explains that cash assistance has helped improve the lives of women and girls. The money is given to GBV survivors and vulnerable groups like those living with disabilities and the ill. This initiative has seen immediate results, "We had Anger, who had turbulent times in her marriage. The husband abandoned her, but when she came to the center, she enrolled for cash assistance. As I speak now, she is doing well, and has even reconciled with her husband, meaning there is harmony at home because she has now financial independence, just like Armeniya who bakes mandazi ".
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A total of 250 women and girls have benefited from the program, a gesture the Renk County Commissioner, Hon. Kak Padiet Kak, said, is changing their lives.
UNFPA, through its partners like Hope Restoration South Sudan and International Medical Corps (IMC), continues its dedicated response to the returnees affected by the Sudan crisis. Supported by funding from CERF and European Union Humanitarian Aid, UNFPA remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls.
