SSWEN works closely with communities and government entities to build upon their awareness on women’s rights, sensitize the government for positive responding towards human rights violations. Gender is a critical factor that determines an individual’s role and status. Women and men have different roles and utilize resources of their environment differently, therefore, development and humanitarian programs affect women and men differently.
In order to achieve our mission and vision, SSWEN sought to promote women’s participation in broad-spectrum decision making and development initiatives, which were heavily skewed against them.
Other initiatives we undertook towards realizing these goals were human rights, advocacy, and gender re-engineering. In the process of taking these bold and unprecedented initiatives, it was soon realized that young women and girls could not be left out. In any case, the plight of women directly affects girls because the former are duty bearers and guardians of the latter.
SSWEN programs are pegged on key thematic areas; Sexual & Gender Based Violence, Women’s Rights, Political Participation, Peace Building, Health, Reproductive Rights & HIV/Aids and Economic Empowerment. SSWEN projects range from SGBV response and prevention, enhancing women’s role in peacebuilding, strengthening women’s engagement and advocacy in democratic processes to policy advocacy, campaigns to end
child marriage in South Sudan and activities on Women’s Economic Empowerment.
Different gender societal roles and statuses can favor or hinder one’s capacity to access information, obtain new opportunities, and make decisions. Hence, the needs and interests of women and men are different, but both are important to consider in a programme in order to address mountain development and contribute to the improvement of mountain people’s wellbeing.