Juba, May 26, 2023 — A $ 70 million World Bank-funded Economic Empowerment project dubbed, South Sudan Women and Social Economic Empowerment Project-SSWSEEP was launched in Juba.
The project implemented by UNFPA and UN-Women with South Sudan’s Ministry of Gender is to support female entrepreneurs in formalizing and scaling up their business activities and help survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) access vital services that will enable them to recover and rebuild their lives.
The World Bank approved a $70 million International Development Association grant to boost women’s social and economic empowerment in South Sudan.
For generations, Hon. Aya Benjamin Warile noted, South Sudanese women have supported their families and communities by engaging in entrepreneurial activities, however, their progress has often been constrained by a mixture of prevailing social norms, institutional impediments, and insufficient access to education, training, business services, and access to financing.
“Empowering women to participate fully in civic and economic life will make South Sudan more prosperous and peaceful. With improved financial security, other areas of women’s lives will also improve, as they can more easily afford health services, send their children to school, and are more likely to serve in leadership roles in their communities and become agents of change,” said Aya Benjamin Warile, Minister of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare for South Sudan.
UNFPA Representative, Dr. Ademola Olajide said," The project is a symbol of collective solidarity in the transformation of Gender-Based -Violence survivors to champions that can optimally contribute to socio-economic transformation."
This project aligns with the World Bank’s Country Engagement Note for South Sudan for the financial year 2021-2023 and it includes a cross-cutting focus on women and youth to help reduce fragility, facilitate peacebuilding, and promote inclusive development in the country. The project takes a holistic approach aiming to also strengthen the public sector’s capacity to engage more actively around women’s empowerment to ensure long-term benefits for future generations of South Sudanese women and girls.
“Survivors of gender-based violence require substantial support to recover from the physical and psychological trauma that they have endured. This project will help expand their access to vital health services and psychosocial support, and will work on strengthening the prevention of GBV,” said Firas Raad, World Bank Country Manager for South Sudan. “It will also help women to grow their businesses and improve their livelihoods by providing grants, training, and technical assistance.”
HE, Mama Rebecca De Mabior in a group photo with other dignitaries during the launch
The Vice President of the Gender and Youth Cluster, Her Excellency Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior said, “This project is a commitment under the leadership of the Government of South Sudan to support and leverage the God-given strength of the woman”.
The SSWSEEP comprises four components that aim at holistically addressing the specific challenges affecting the growth and development of women in South Sudan including: community-based socio-economic empowerment of women; establishing a women’s entrepreneurial opportunity facility; providing services for survivors of GBV; and supporting institutional strengthening and project management.
The SSWSEEP is a four-year project that will be implemented by South Sudan’s Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare (MGCSW) with the support of UN Women. It will target 91,000 women and 5,200 adolescent girls, while indirectly reaching 673,40
