Building Her Future
How one woman’s new literacy skills are laying the foundation for a more prosperous future in South Sudan
In South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, nearly 70% of the adult population cannot read or write. Only Guinea and Chad have lower literacy rates.
Decades of conflict and underdevelopment coupled with rampant gender-based and sexual violence, and crippling poverty are just some of the challenges that severely limit South Sudanese students’ access to quality education.
According to the United Nations, some 2.8 million children — nearly three of every four potential learners — are out of school. And for many women and girls who want to go to school, early and forced marriage often make the already-elusive dream of an education even harder to reach.
“Literacy has helped me gain knowledge to read and write my name, the names of people, and numbers.” — Josephine Nakuru
In the remote village of Riwoto near the Kenyan and Ugandan borders, more than 200 young people — all of whom had never been to school — are learning to read, write, and count, after a new learning center recently opened in the village. Nineteen-year-old Josephine Nakuru is one of those students.
“One day, my friend told me there is a training on literacy and numeracy, which could help me learn how to read and write. I was interested and came to the center,” she says.
The center is a single classroom where up to 30 students learn foundational literacy skills including basic English, reading, writing, and counting. Students also learn basic skills to start a business and find work, and have access to sexual and reproductive health information — topics often avoided in South Sudan’s conservative society.
A single mother, Josephine sells handmade fermented brew in the village to support her parents and one-year-old son. Known locally as siko, her recipe includes sorghum and sugar. She sells a 600 milliliter bottle, about the size of a typical water bottle, for $2, or a little more than 2,000 South Sudanese Pounds.
She wants to learn how to earn more and provide for her family the best she can. “I need to learn how to earn money the right way,” she says.
After one month of classes at the center, she’s already putting her skills into practice. “Literacy has helped me gain knowledge to read and write my name, the names of people, and numbers,” she says.
When asked how she will use her new skills, Josephine excitedly explained: “The alphabet will help me in reading and writing names of my customers, and the numbers will help me in counting items for the shop, counting money, and managing profits.”
Josephine is one of thousands of young South Sudanese learning foundational skills through USAID’s work in education in South Sudan.
From helping students learn how to read and perform basic calculations, to increasing access to hands-on business experience at centers like the one in Josephine’s village, USAID is building skills for thousands of young women and men so they can participate in South Sudanese society, strengthen relationships within their communities, and lay the foundation for a more prosperous future.
If you are South Sudanese between 15 and 29 and would like more information on how you can get involved in USAID’s literacy programs, please visit your nearest youth training center or youth-led organization and ask to speak with a Youth Empowerment Activity Youth Corps member. For additional details, email yeainfo@edc.org and listen to this conversation on Eye Radio’s The Dawn morning talk show and hear how USAID is making a difference.
About the Author
Nicholas Acosta is the Development Outreach and Communications (DOC) Specialist with USAID/South Sudan. He previously served as Senior DOC in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Communications Specialist in Washington, D.C., and Senior Speechwriter for former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
