The horror of forced marriage to gaining hope through Bedsheet making

I am an orphan as I lost my parents when still young and the only surviving child of my late parents.  At an early age, my community gave me up into forced marriage and when I refused, I was handed over to the youth to teach me a lesson which was torture to almost losing my life. In the process of torture to accept marriage to the person I had never met, i was badly beaten and survived with severe injuries on my body.

Due to pain and fear that one day that I would be beaten to death, I accepted to the marriage arrangement and was brought to my husband’s house. Not long into the marriage, my husband died and was left a widow with nothing to hold on to. Powerless with no awareness of my rights as a young woman, life was ending in my eyes.

With thanks to the empowered women from the friendly spaces, a friend advised me to come learn skills and get psychological support at the Women and Girls Friendly Space (WGFS) where I met other transformed women. I was enrolled straight away into the programme and it was just the right place! Breathing with relief as I looked forward to interacting with other women and to learning a skill to be able to have the autonomy to manage my life and earn a living.

When asked if there is any change, she experienced in her life from the time she joined the centre? She had this to say,

 

“I  was about to commit suicide because I felt the world had rejected me, little did I know that I could still be loved and accepted by other people. Here I have sisters, some of them are now like mothers to me – pointing at one elderly woman”.

At the centre with other women who learnt other skills, I have learnt how to make bedsheets, each time I complete a pair, I sell at 60,000SSP and I use the money to buy food. I even managed to buy some clothes for myself which I never had before. I have learnt more about my rights as a woman which helps me make better choices.

“This WGFS has given me a home, a family, peace, knowledge and joy that I never had before, thanks to this project and I hope that UNFPA can continue to support and assist many more women and girls who are facing the same challenges in life like me…my life has changed, i can now smile”.

More women and girls who have benefited from the friendly space, Simon is also one of them and is happy that from the sale of bedsheets she made, she is able to support her children who she left for safety back in Uganda. She said that in a period of two months she was able to sell two pairs of bedsheets at 120,000SSP. I am now self-reliant and hope that I can make connections in Juba city for a bigger market for my products.

The centre supports GBV survivors, women and girls at risk of GBV including sexual exploitation and abuse as well as work with men and boys on GBV prevention through awareness raising.