Good News Radio was named Most Trusted Radio in South Sudan 2021, based on research by Internews South Sudan. It is led by Marial Deng, a multimedia journalist with more than 10 years’ experience, and operates under the Catholic Radio Network, a religious media entity managing numerous media houses across South Sudan.

It is difficult to manage a radio house in the fragile Lakes State, an area renowned for revenge killings and cattle raids. Marial describes it as a tough and stressful task.

“Apart from funding inaccessibility, you will find there are situations where the radio lacks some very important equipment. For example, currently, we are lacking a biometric door lock system, on-air light, backup transmitter, and new computers for staff,” he said.

“The station also lacks field relay live broadcast to broadcast live events, recorders for the broadcast journalist to conduct recordings and headphones for the on-air studio and the broadcast journalist.”

His staff need technical training on equipment maintenance and management, he said, and would benefit from training on more general reporting and content creation skills.

Marial added that the station also faces the challenge of a low coverage area; his station uses a 2.5KW transmitter that covers a 150-kilometre radius.

Still, he said the station has over 1.2 million listeners, according to the 2013 UNMISS assessment report – demonstrating the continuing importance of radio as a source of information, entertainment and connection in the country.

Meet our partner - Nile FM

In 2013, the popular Malakal Town of Upper Nile was devastated by a series of civil wars that forced almost all of the town’s population to seek refuge at the United Nations Protection of Civilians Site (POC). Malakal POC is home to 31,095 internally displaced persons, according to September 2021 UN-IOM data.

Our call for applications to receive our training included radio stations from war-affected areas, and Nile FM – a humanitarian radio operating at the UN Hub – more than met the required standard qualifications. Originally managed by Internews South Sudan, Nile FM is now part of a local Community Engagement Network with support from international organisations, but struggles for sufficient funding.

Because of this, the radio station, which previously was run by more than 10 employees, is now operated by only three people. Dau Nyok, Nile FM station manager, says the institution lacks a lot of important equipment.

“We lack new computers for staff and a desktop for the on-air PC, field relay live broadcast to broadcast live events at the POC or at the Freedom Square, and recorders for the broadcast journalist to conduct recordings.

“Other missing equipment includes a studio console to improve quality and increase the number of phone lines and headphones for the on-air studio and the broadcast journalist,” said Dau.

Closing knowledge gaps

From October 2021 to March 2022, we carried out training to boost our partners’ future outlook and sustainability. These sessions were not limited to cities; three current Nile FM three staff and former seven employees in November 2021 attended a four-day training on editorial policy governance, safeguarding, disability, production skills and gender-sensitive reporting in Malakal Town.

Two senior staff from Nile FM were also part of five days of training on radio management, fundraising, sustainability and financial management, to help them generate funds and grow the institution in the absence of donors.

Nile FM staffer Aban Christopher said one of his main take-aways was from the safeguarding session. “This unit will help to protect myself and respect others, especially my colleagues, so that I don’t hurt them but instead take care of them while at work and at home.”

“As a journalist, the presentation on editorial guidelines was really important for my ethical growth. Secondly, the session on production was so good, because it will always make me prepare myself ahead of an interview or a program,” said female journalist Amani Ibrahim.

Journalist Malek Bol added: “The training has touched on a lot of very good things, especially what I really wanted to learn. The topic of gender sensitive reporting is a key, because gender issues are happening in our communities and we as media need to report a lot on that topic, so that our communities can change and even start prioritising issues for example taking girls to school.”

Quality in reporting

Good News Radio staff – of whom 10 attended our October 2021 editorial, safeguarding and production skills training – said the mix of theory and practical sessions has built their knowledge and skills.

“The training was excellent, and I have gained a lot from it, especially on topics such as considering inclusion when reporting, why it’s important to know the rights of people with disabilities not to be left out and ensuring equality when reporting,” said Monica Amesio, who presents a daily programme, The Evening Experience.

Mary Agum, presenter of Good Morning Lakes State – a daily current affairs programme – said: “Personally, the most enjoyable part of the training was production and content moderation sessions. This is simply because the skills will immediately help on how to improve my interviewing skills and others.”

Renewing our spirit

Station manager Marial Deng said the training had “renewed our spirit to work harder to deliver. I could see the staff so engaged and attentive during your presentation- meaning the sessions were interesting.

“Honestly, we have not been doing programmes on disability, safeguarding, although airtime is there for such programmes. The radio station staff will make use of the knowledge they have acquired,” said Marial.

With ongoing training, we are providing our radio partners with support to create editorial policies and in many cases, equipment to help them sustain their operations to provide trusted information and space for dialogue in this young nation.

About Life in Lulu 

Life in Lulu is a peace and conflict resolution project aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence, tolerance, and stability among the people of South Sudan, through radio dramas and community mobilisation. Our radio drama explores the day-to-day lives of the inhabitants of Lulu village, an imaginary rural location in South Sudan.

The project also builds the capacity of our radio station partners, so that they are better able to sustain their operations, bring trusted information to their audiences and create space for dialogue.

The civic education, peace engagement and capacity building project is co-funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

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As our Land Cruiser leaves the tarmac at Gudele, on the edge of Juba, and takes a right somewhere onto a dirt path, I am reminded there are only about 220km of paved roads in South Sudan, and most of them are here in Juba.

It isn’t really a surprise, then, that after driving just 15 minutes from our office, we find ourselves a world away from the bustling city and heading directly into the bush.

In Joppa, the houses are mostly made of mud bricks, some of cement. They are rectangular in shape and well distanced. Some are fenced for privacy, others protected only by the paths that thousands of feet have etched into the hard soil a few meters away. For someone who, like me, comes from Europe, the scenery is what I always imagined that this part of Africa would look like: sparse green grass, teak and thorny acacia trees and red soil.

As a senior projects manager, I don’t often get to travel to the field to meet the families who listen to our radio programmes. Days like this are a special event and I am looking forward to hearing people’s opinions of our work.

We are about to meet Mama Lia.

Her house is shielded by bamboo sticks, hundreds of them planted firmly into the ground and nailed to each other. The compound is spacious; she has set up some blue plastic chairs for us at the back of the house, next to a patch where she is cultivating local vegetables.

Mama strikes me as a no-nonsense woman. She tells us that yes, she has been listening to Let’s Talk About Us - our radio programme that explores relationships between couples, the role of men and women in the community and family, and the drivers of women’s confidence and motivation around sexual and reproductive health.

Mama Lia recognizes the voice of our Arabic producer. “I know your voice from the radio,” she smiles. “The episode you did on the sex of the child had a big impact on me and my daughter.

'Women are blamed for giving birth to girls'

We relax into our chairs ready to listen as Mama Lia recounts her experience. She is 56 years old, she tells us, a widow with four sons and four daughters, all of them married. She tells us that her daughter Jakeline had been suffering a lot of abuse at the hands of her husband, the reason being that she was only giving birth to baby girls.

“There is a preference for baby boys in South Sudan, you see, and women are blamed for giving birth to girls.”

Over time, the situation became so bad that Jakeline decided to return to her mother’s house.

“Her husband announced he was going to marry another woman so my daughter came back to me with their three girls,” her mother sighs at the memory. “I didn’t know any better then, so I took them back.”

Sometime later, a volunteer from Active Youth Agency - our local partner organisation - brought Mama Lia a radio with some of the Let’s Talk About Us episodes loaded onto it. She listened to all of them and tells us that the one about the sex of the baby really struck a chord.

After listening once, she called her daughter Jakeline so they could listen together and discuss it. They couldn’t believe their ears.

“The doctor on the programme was explaining that it is the sperm of the man that determines the sex of the baby. It is not the woman.”

Mama Lia says she felt vindicated. She even went to the local chief to tell him her discovery and to ask that he help families facing the same issue. “We have always accepted that it is the woman who is responsible for giving birth to too many girls or boys and this has caused a lot of suffering.”

She convinced her daughter Jakeline to take the radio to her husband and listen with him to the episode. “After he heard the information, he apologised to me and he accepted that he should take her and the girls back.”

Mama Lia can’t stress enough how useful that information has been for her. “If I had known this before, I would have confronted my son-in-law early on and spared all of us a lot of suffering.”

Amplifying women’s voices

Women and girls in South Sudan face some of the worst sexual and reproductive health and rights prospects in the world: a maternal mortality ratio of, contraceptive prevalence  and 31 per cent of women bearing . 

reported that sexual and gender-based violence goes unquestioned by many girls and women in South Sudan, with over half of those interviewed believing that rape cannot take place in marriage, and almost 50% disagreeing that a wife can ask her husband to wear a condom.

These challenges are closely linked to low literacy rates and the audience’s needs for trusted information, and we know this requires long-term intervention. Radio is the most accessed and trusted mass media in South Sudan, and content that can challenge a strong patriarchal culture can contribute to increasing the agency of women and girls in decision- making.

The chain of events set in motion by Mama Lia against the social norms and challenges outlined was inspired by our radio programming and confirms that our content is moving in the right direction: helping create change for women and girls.

Access to trusted and accurate information empowered Mama Lia to take action, challenge harmful norms and lobby others, both men and women, to support women’s rights. 

About our work in South Sudan

Since 2020, we have reached over 1.9 million listeners with radios broadcasts of Let’s Talk About Us – roughly 17% of the total population - and engaged 2,765 families in listening groups, or about 23,903 individuals.

Both through radio and in our outreach work, we are managing to reach a mixed gender listenership, of 56% female and 44% male.

This is a crucial achievement, as men’s support is also needed in increasing women’s and girls’ agency and decision-making power.

A midline survey of our listeners also told us that 67% of Let’s Talk About Us listeners are more likely than non-listeners to agree that “a girl/young woman has the right to decide if she wants to use contraceptive methods to avoid pregnancy,” and to agree with other statements about women and girls’ right to choose when to get married, including women and girls with disabilities.

With the help of our programme, Mama Lia has taken brave new steps to etch new paths in her neighbourhood. Our community outreach will ensure others follow in her footsteps.

Let’s Talk About Us is funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Eunice introduced me to Patricia, a 37-year-old single mother, who is a regular listener to the programme. Patricia told me about the challenges she went through in her marriage and living with a physical impairment.

“We lived a happy life at the beginning, but it was very short. The relatives of my husband blamed him for marrying a lame woman. They considered their brother to have brought a curse in their family,” Patricia said. “They kept blaming him for marrying me until one day, in 2008, my husband told me that he was going for further studies. Then he went for good in 2020. He went back to his wife in Wau.”

Patricia’s resilience amazed me. Saying “disability is not inability,” she described her work with the South Sudan Ministry of Education in Eastern Equatoria, how she is studying for a degree in human resource management, and how she earns extra income through small business to support her two children – a boy and a girl - to go to school.

Patricia told me her favorite episode of Let’s talk about us was about puberty and body changes in young boys and girls. The episode featured a lady who was surprised when she first saw menstrual blood and didn’t know what it was. She thought that maybe she got pierced by a nail in her buttocks. Patricia says she doesn’t want her daughter to be surprised when she sees period blood in her panties one day. She already understood the need to talk to her children about bodily changes, but she said she did not realise that talking to them about this at an early age - before the changes starts to occur – was advised.

After listening to the programme, she spoke to her children, and she told us her daughter responded and said that a female senior teacher had been talking to them at school, too. She already knew that big girls at school were always given pads.

I related to Patricia’s story because of my own personal experience when I was growing up. My mother never shared any information with me about bodily changes, or even what to expect at a certain age. The day I saw my period had begun, I was very confused and could not approach my mother, because I had never heard that ladies menstruate. It is considered taboo for mothers to discuss menstruation with their daughters. Instead, I spoke with a friend who was older than me, and who had already started her period. She guided me on what to use and how to keep clean, including changing sanitary pads three times a day or even four times, depending on the flow of blood.

After feeling more knowledgeable about talking to her children, Patricia expressed interest in hearing more episodes and said she decided to take the radio to her workplace, so that her colleagues can listen too, and be empowered to make their own decisions about sexual and reproductive health and their rights, after learning the facts from experts and hearing real people’s stories.

I’m happy Let’s talk about us is shining a light on the issues that women and girls face in South Sudan, and it is good to see how it is inspiring change. There is much still to do, and many taboo topics to address. For instance, many husbands will send their wives back to their families if they give birth to too many daughters – but not if they have many sons. Newly created episodes are helping spark discussions around the sex of babies, and through the programme, listeners are informed of how babies are conceived and how the sex is determined.

Looking ahead, our community mobilisation activities around Let’s talk about us will go beyond providing knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights. We plan to broaden our focus to changing attitudes and perceptions about how women, girls and people living with disability can freely access services and build themselves a brighter future.

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The radio programme Let’s talk about us forms part of our project, Amplifying Women’s Voices, which is supported by Global Affairs Canada. Find out more about our work in South Sudan here.

Our radio drama Life in Lulu which depicts the lives and trials of people living in a small village in South Sudan and its regular listeners include inmates at Tonj prison. Henning Goransson Sandberg, our Research Manager, talks about his visit there to understand what they took from the programme.

The prison sits on a main road, overlooking the river that flows past the city of Tonj, in central South Sudan. The doors are open to the street, and the only guard at the entrance takes a cursory look through my bag as I walk past his desk on my way in. The courtyard, where most of the prisoners spend the day looking after cows, farming or cooking food, is patrolled by guards and surrounded by a low wall.

I meet the prison director who shows us around and tells me why the prisoners are there; their crimes range from fraud, shoplifting and petty theft to rape, assault and murder. The most serious offenders have their feet chained together, he tells me.

I am here to speak to inmates who have taken part in radio listening clubs facilitated by presenters from Döör FM, the local radio station. They have been discussing Life in Lulu, 麻豆约拍 Media Action’s radio drama about the residents of a small village. The drama, now in its fifth season, is broadcast across South Sudan and explores a number of issues including non-violent ways to resolve conflict. 

Döör FM, which means “Peace” in the Dinka language, is a private radio station broadcasting mainly religious, education and public information programmes in the local dialect. The station started the listening clubs around a year ago and has since staged discussions about forgiveness, peaceful conflict resolution, the dangers of weapons in civilian hands and the dangers posed by mines and other explosives. By showing its characters making poor decisions when they are angry or drunk, Life in Lulu highlights the dangers of owning and using weapons.

Most prisoners had not heard the programme before starting their sentences, mainly because they had no access to a radio. But for the past six months they had listened weekly and discussed the show when the Döör FM presenters came to visit. The storylines seemed to resonate with them.

Achol has served two years of an indeterminate sentence for a gun-related crime. "All the problems that exist in this community occur because of guns," he said. "If you don’t have gun according to the perception we have here is that you are not a man and you don’t deserve the respect that men in the society enjoy."

He is passionate when he speaks of Life in Lulu and what he has learned. He told me that since his arrest, he had changed his mind about gun ownership. "I came to realise that guns should not be handled by civilians," even claiming, "After I’m released I will never touch any gun again … I will tell people about what I have learnt about guns in the prison and I will advise them to surrender their guns to the government so that we can remain as civilians."

Our research has shown that Life in Lulu has been successful in targeting beliefs and norms around weapons, in particular the belief that they symbolise masculinity and command respect.

Discussing the programme with others is important – as it increases the influence of the programme beyond its immediate listeners.

Talking to the prisoners I was struck by how closely the stories in Life in Lulu resembled their experiences. Deng, another prisoner, spoke about the storyline related to a revenge attack after a cattle raid in Lulu in which one person in the neighbouring community was killed:

"If they were to follow the legal procedure I think they wouldn’t have killed that person just because of one cow," he said. "The government would have apprehended him and put him in prison and the problem would have been resolved amicably. That is why I am in the prison here now, because I failed to follow the legal way of demanding my right, rather than commit a revenge attack."

Deng later told us he thinks the programme has influenced how he handles conflict, "I have totally changed from the way I used to do my thing in the past, after listening to Life in Lulu. Now if I have a problem then I will sit with people and negotiate until we reach a peaceful resolution."

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The prisoner’s testimony was gathered as part of a research study and all names have been changed.

Life in Lulu is currently starting its fifth season. The programme is broadcast nationwide in South Sudan in three different languages, Juba Arabic, Dinka and Nuer. The programme is funded by the Norwegian Embassy in South Sudan.

Agol’s story featured alongside those of many other girls in South Sudan. For 15-year-old Easter, going to school in the dark was dangerous. Waiting until daylight meant she was missing classes. 

By means of interviews with girls, their families and teachers, 'Our School' shows how these kinds of factors can affect a girl’s education. At the same time, through positive role models, the programme shows girls how they can succeed.

After listening to the radio show, started walking her daughter to school.

Making a difference

Our shows that listeners of the programme are significantly more likely to say their daughter is going to school, compared to non-listeners. And, nearly half of our audience said they had asked questions at their local schools after listening to the show. Those who tune in say they more frequently discuss education with their daughters or girls in their family too. 

Many issues remain, but as Agol’s story suggests, girls in South Sudan are in a class of their own.

As she says: "I had challenges but I overcame those bit by bit until I sat for my exams and passed."

More power to you Agol.

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Kenyi Betuel is Editor for 麻豆约拍 Media Action project ‘Our School’ – a girl’s education programme in South Sudan funded by DFID through the . The programme is produced by a team of local producers and broadcasts in nine languages.

麻豆约拍work vs housework

Stella’s story is a common one. Many people in South Sudan believe a girl should be doing housework, not homework. Whole communities of girls are prevented from getting an education for fear that they will lose respect for time-old traditions that place women firmly in the home.

Stella had wanted to sneak into school with the boys from her village but the prospect was daunting, “We didn’t know people in town and were scared that we’d get lost on the way,” she says.

Her father finally relented once convinced of the future economic benefits of educating his daughters.

“My father only gave my sisters and I permission to go to school when he realised the benefits school had on my brother,” she says.

“My brother… has bought many cows for my father…paying for him to travel between the village and town by car whenever he wants.”

Like Stella’s father, Lopeyok a father and community elder changed his mind about school being a ‘dangerous place’ for girls.

“Now I have realised that the school is good for girls, I am ready to pay for my daughter’s school fees” he tells Tina. “If they ask me anything for school I have cows that I will sell for my children to study.”

I want to be a doctor

Despite starting school relatively late, Stella is working hard to achieve her dreams.

“It won’t take me long to finish my school” she says defiantly. “I want to be a doctor to serve…my community.” She’s aware of how different things could have been: “If I had remained in the village up until now, I would already be married, have many children – and be working on the land.”

I hope her story is an inspiration for all our listeners - girls, parents and community leaders. The more that fathers realise that educating their daughters is beneficial for their family, community and country, the more that girls will realise their potential.

Our School – funded by DFID through the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) project – is produced by a team of local producers and broadcasts in nine languages.

麻豆约拍 Media Action isn't funded by the 麻豆约拍’s licence fee and depends on the generous support of donors. Help our work.

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One girl asked me about some of the challenges I faced at school. I told her there were many! The dangerous distraction of boys (to be avoided at all costs!), lack of reliable transport to get me to class in time, low expectations and the constant disruption of war. Unsurprisingly, many of these challenges still hinder girls’ education and limit their aspirations today.

There is hope. The number of girls completing their final year at Juba Girls Secondary School has rocketed since I was there over a decade ago. I’m confident that radio shows like ‘Our School’ and initiatives like the careers fair will help improve this figure even more.

Investing in success

After the panel discussion, we broke up into groups for mentoring sessions. “What advice would I have wanted to hear as a 16 year old?” I asked myself.

“To succeed, a girl needs to know why she's in school, I repeat, she needs to know this. School isn’t just about learning new things now, it’s an investment in the future of your family, your community and your country,” I told my group. After the mentoring session, I picked up my recorder and put on my headphones to capture all the inspiring conversations around me, to be broadcast to girls across South Sudan through our national radio partner, Radio Miraya.

“Ah Catherine, I want to be like you”, said a girl, tugging on my t-shirt as I gathered my things to leave. Along with the warm glow of nostalgia from visiting my former school, it felt so good to be one of the women acting as a role model for these girls.

I never did find the mango tree I planted all those years ago. Instead, I found hundreds of little girls, striving to be the best they can be. Just like little trees – the more sustenance they can get (through positive role models and education) – the more fruit they’ll bear and the stronger they’ll grow.

This article was written as part of the 麻豆约拍’s season. Join the conversation on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #100women.

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In South Sudan, it’s not uncommon for older men to offer girls and young women gifts of transport, mobile phones and cash with the expectation of them starting a sexual relationship in return. This sometimes has disastrous consequences for their education.

Rose, aged 16, was a committed pupil before a relationship with an older man caused her to drop out of school. On her way to school one morning she arrived at the bus station and found there was no transport. She was stuck and didn’t know what to do when a man in his thirties cruised by in his car and offered her lift. Desperate not to be late for her morning lessons, she accepted the lift and jumped into the man’s car.

Rose, now 29, told her story to Florence Michael, a producer of , a radio programme which discusses the importance of girls completing their education in South Sudan.

“On our way, he asked for my name, I introduced myself then he did the same,” Rose said. “Reaching school he asked me if we could meet again.”

Over the next few months, the man continued to give Rose lifts to school. He didn’t stop there. He gave her a whole variety of gifts, including money and a mobile phone. Not long after that, the man asked for something else.

He asked Rose to be his girlfriend. A few months later she was pregnant.

“After I conceived I couldn’t go to school,” Rose said. “The man had a wife; he only came to spoil me then went back to his wife. Up to now, I couldn’t get back to school and there’s no one helping me with my child.”

Rose isn’t the only one. Monica from Lakes State, Mimi from Juba and Esther from Maridi in Western Equatoria State told our producers they left school after developing relationships with older men. They all say it started with gifts.

Many people in South Sudan are poor and public transport is often unreliable. School teachers and parents we interviewed believe some men take advantage of this situation to seduce schoolgirls into relationships.

Gifts from strangers

Atong, a female teacher in Mingkaman, Lakes State, said she is aware this goes on and they are doing their best to alleviate the situation.

“During lessons, we tell girls to protect themselves by rejecting any gifts from strangers”, Atong told Abraham Machuor, another Our School producer.

Wilson, a parent, entered into the debate, saying it’s not enough to tell girls not to accept gifts. “You have to give her a budget,” he said. “For example, money for transport, to and from school, money for breakfast…and she’ll be free and not think about what others can give her.”

Many of the girls we interviewed – from a number of states – said they believed the benefits of education outweighed the attraction of gifts that come with strings attached.

“If somebody gave me something, I would concentrate on that person and forget my education, that’s why I reject gifts,” said one girl, “Even if I am poor, I have to continue with my education until I finish and be rich like that person.”

It’s satisfying to know our radio programmes are giving people a platform to talk frankly about such a sensitive issue as well as discussing ways to overcome it.

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For International Women’s Day 2016, Winnie our script writer in South Sudan blogs about her experience in hearing how a radio drama she’s writing is helping address conflict in local communities.

I am one of the drama writers for the radio show Life in Lulu. I believe that the drama has taught the women of South Sudan to speak out and stand up for themselves in their families and in society at large. Women are now participating in solving problems peacefully.

I think it’s very important for women like me to be working in media organisations. We can be role models for women who are without a voice and don’t know who to approach when they want their views to be heard - about education for girls, stopping early marriage, and advocating for women’s rights at all levels of society.

I have had a lot of moments that make me proud to be working here, like when we received a message from one of the listeners from Torit, a town in Eastern Equatoria state. He said that he learned that women can contribute good ideas when it comes to resolving conflict in the community and that was something new for him.

It shows that the scenarios we dramatise in the show are bringing about changes.

I must also say I am so pleased when I see women gathering here in the real marketplace to listen to the programme go on air. This makes me feel like we are truly on people’s minds when they think how they can live together in peace and harmony. I am so excited about that.

Read more inspiring stories of how women are using media to make waves.

The theme for this year's is the power of the adolescent girl and the vision for this generation of girls in 2030. As the day approaches, Apune Jacob Alfred reflects on the research he and colleagues at 麻豆约拍 Media Action have undertaken as part of the Girls’ Education programme in South Sudan.

                 "[I want to go to university] so that I can become a doctor and drive my own car.”
                                                            Adolescent girl, Ngomba, western South Sudan

This was just one ambition we heard earlier this year when we conducted interviews with teenage girls for 麻豆约拍 Media Action's , part of the DFID-funded . In total, we spoke to 13 girls aged 13 to 18. Having a daughter myself, it was wonderful to hear about how interested these teenagers were to become doctors or engineers and become equal to any man in South Sudan.

We were working in Wau, Western Bahr El Ghazal, in the west of South Sudan on what’s called a longitudinal qualitative study which involves us speaking to girls, their families, teachers and key influencers in their community over a four-year period.

As the quote suggests, a key finding from our research is that this generation of women have big ambitions and hopes for their futures. However, in 2013, . Many of the girls in our study, despite being teenagers, were either not in school or were still in the lower grades of primary school.

What causes this gulf between ambition and reality?

Our study aims to understand better the drivers and barriers that influence girls’ opportunities in relation to education and, consequently, what they are able to choose to do in their lives.

Many of the adolescent girls we spoke to talked about a number of issues affecting their ability to go and stay in school. They told us about the pressure of domestic responsibilities, the expense of education – not only school fees, but also the price of uniforms, books and pens. Parents and others in the community also mentioned the harassment girls sometimes face from boys and men inside and outside of school.

                   “Life has been hard. Had it not been because of money problems, I would have got                                         registered in school. So… these are the things that pain me.”                                                                                                Adolescent girl, Kayango, western South Sudan

Informing programmes

The findings from our research directly feed into Our School, a 15-minute factual radio programme that includes real-life stories of girls, their families and schools to highlight the benefits of girls staying in school.

Recent episodes of the programme have directly tackled some of the main challenges the girls told us about.

For example, the show has focused on how to grow and manage income and expenditure in the household to help budget for school fees, how to split household chores among girls and boys equally and how girls can deal with boys inside and outside of the classroom.

Next year we will be returning to the same girls, families and teachers to see if and how their situations have changed – and what has contributed to these changes. I’m very much looking forward to going back and meeting the girls again so I can see for myself how they have progressed in their ambitions, and if and how the Our School programme is helping them.

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For International Day of Peace (21 September), our script writer in South Sudan blogs about her experience in Juba when the civil war first started and how a radio drama she’s writing is helping address conflict in local communities.

After 20 months of conflict, president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Myardit, and rebel leader, Dr Riek Machar Teny sat down last month (26 August 2015) to sign a peace deal.

For many of us here in South Sudan, we cautiously hope that this deal will signal an end to the fighting that has ravaged our country and bring back peace and hope to our young nation.

Unsafe overnight

As the conflict first broke out in December 2013, I was working in Juba as a 麻豆约拍 Media Action script writer. What was believed to have started as a fight between soldiers in army barracks soon developed into a fully-fledged conflict marked along ethnic and tribal lines. Juba became unsafe overnight.

As the days went on, markets closed, food and water became scarce and I saw neighbouring houses looted. While the situation in Juba has become less tense since then, the conflict has continued without reprieve across South Sudan– forcing almost 2.2 million people from their homes.

We responded to the crisis through , a 15-minute radio drama set in a fictional village. Normally focused on health, the drama was adapted to show listeners how everyday conflict – such as domestic violence, disagreements over the use of plots of land for crops, and care for communal areas – can be prevented, contained or resolved.

For many of us here in South Sudan talking about conflict is difficult. The use of drama helps us deal with these sensitive topics. As one research participant, living in a UN camp, reflected, "The drama directly relates to what I’m going through. When I'm outside playing dominoes with my friends, they tend to call me an IDP (internally displaced person) which I don’t like because sometimes I end up fighting them. I wish we could all accept one another even if we don’t belong to the same tribe or community."

When writing for Life in Lulu, I reflect on these insights and weave them into the storylines.

Different perspectives

One recent storyline focuses on the stealing of farm land by internally displaced persons in a host community. The resulting conflict sees the host community trying to evict the displaced persons from Lulu.

In the drama, we show perspectives from all sides and explore the compromises everyone has to make to keep living together peacefully.

Exploring non-violent ways to resolve conflict through drama has resonated with our audiences, who’ve sent in appreciative text messages. As a woman from Gudelle wrote in, "This drama is really important in South Sudan. It focuses on real issues in the community."

Spurred on by this positive feedback, we're now writing the final batch of episodes for this season's Life in Lulu.

In light of the recent peace deal, we hope conflict will soon end for the country. On a more local level, we also hope the dramatisation of conflict in Life in Lulu will help people create peace in their own lives and in their communities.

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In a country where only one in ten girls complete primary education, Trish Doherty looks at how a 麻豆约拍 Media Action radio programme is helping more girls stay in school in South Sudan.

“A girl without education is like a bird without wings”

So read the banner held by pupils of AIC Nursery and Primary School as they marched onto the pitch set aside for the celebrations of South Sudan’s National Girls’ Education Day. Held at Gudele East Primary School, the event was both a celebration of girls’ education and the launch of the first ever .

In a country where only one in ten girls complete primary education and even fewer a secondary education, the strategy’s emphasis on girls’ education is paramount.

Launched by the government with support from UNICEF and key education organisations, the strategy aims to remove barriers that prevent girls in South Sudan from going to and staying in school and includes plans to promote girls’ education, make education affordable and provide a gender sensitive curriculum.

Transforming lives through education

Watching the children of primary schools from across the area perform songs, dances and dramas about the challenges they face in going to and staying in school, and the pride they have in their own education, I reflected on the changes that 麻豆约拍 Media Action’s radio programme is making to lives of people across South Sudan. is a 15 minute factual radio programme that includes real life stories of girls, their families and schools to highlight the benefits of girls staying in education. The show forms part of the , which seeks to transform the lives of a generation of children – especially girls – through education.

In 2014, within four months of its first broadcast, reached an estimated 946,000 people aged 15+ in South Sudan. Since then we have seen real stories of change among listeners. For example, 19 year old William Okeny from Juba, who, after hearing the Our School programme, said he changed his attitude towards the division of household chores:

“One time I tune on my radio it was Our School programme and the topic was supporting girls at home… it was really touches me [and] encourages me to come up with a choice of helping my sisters at home with everything like cooking, sweeping [and] mopping.”

Or 19 year old Teresa Mading from Kuajock, who, at 15, dropped out of school when she got married and had a family. Listening to Our School programme some years after the birth of her first child, Teresa was inspired to return to school.

“I first talked to my husband [and told him] that I had listened to the one of young mothers like me explaining over [the] radio that she had taken courage and returned to school while having young children like me.”

As pupils at the National Girls’ Education Day celebrations performed a drama on the importance of girls staying in school for themselves and their families, I noted how similar their fictional storylines were to William and Teresa’s real-life stories, and how much of a difference education will make for future generations.

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South Sudan has one of the lowest rates of girls attending school in the world. Years of war meant many children of both sexes missed out on years of school. On top of this, education for girls has not been seen as a priority. Early forced marriages, early pregnancies, and poverty have all affected the number of girls going to school.

The challenge of encouraging girls to stay in school is one that head teacher Joseph Kiju Abraham understands only too well. At the busy Juba Day Secondary School, he told our producer Florence Michael “the number of girls in schools is very small compared to boys. So this money is given to encourage girls go to schools so that the population can increase.”

Angelina, a parent of a 15-year-old school girl in Western Equatoria State, says the cash transfers will help her family’s finances.   

“It (cash transfer) will help me carry my burden of thinking about getting money for my daughter’s school needs like books, or school bag, so the cash transfer will reduce my economic burden and give me peace of mind,” she told Our School producer, David Night, in Yambio, the state capital.

Unlike Boldit, Angelina has some education. She works in a small health clinic in Yambio to support her family. Angelina was able to sit down with her daughter and draw up a simple budget to calculate how they would spend the money.

Eighteen-year-old Lith from Lakes state knows exactly what she wants to do with some of her money.   

“I will buy a book to remind me that there is something good in education,” she said.

The new cash transfer scheme is part of the Girls Education South Sudan project, and is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development.

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