Our Women’s Economic Empowerment Program was designed by SMARD to help address the issue of vulnerable women in Gogrial State. Many poor women, especially in rural areas have faced significant poverty in 2020. When the Coronavirus pandemic became an international concern, many NGO’s left South Sudan taking with them the provisions that many had become reliant upon.
SMARD works to help the youth and women with programs aimed at assisting them to develop their talents, skills and abilities and to effectively participate in small and micro enterprise development projects. With the goal of meeting physical needs and helping people to become self sustaining, we’ve developed programs to teach agricultural skills to those most in need.
In July of 2020, we provided groundnut seeds and training to 160 vulnerable women in four villages. The focus of our time was to guide them to the methods needed to make their own food to feed themselves and their families but then also sell the surplus for a profit to assist other families in need.
Today, I am very much thankful to God, SMARD Organisation and its supporting partners for giving me this groundnut sacks. This year, I had no hope of planting such livelihood seed.
Mary Achol Akarap, Yiik Centre
We are thankful to Fellowship Bible Church Family for their generous provision of funds that has allowed us to meet this dire need in our communities.
