GVO, DANIDA Support Women Leaders To Advance Community Advocacy

By Roselyn Oboy

30 grassroots women leaders have begun a mentorship programme to strengthen their advocacy and leadership skills and address protection challenges affecting women and girls in their communities.

The programme, launched by Global Voices Organization (GVO) with support from DANIDA through DanChurchAid (DCA), brings together women leaders from Gudele-Jopa and Goroyo New Site in Juba.

The mentorship aims to equip participants with practical skills to develop evidence-based position papers and petitions highlighting gaps in protection services and advocating for community-driven solutions.

Jennifer Joseph, a participant from Goroyo New Site, said she chose to focus on improving access to healthcare because women and children in her community face significant challenges reaching medical facilities.

She said expectant mothers are often forced to travel long distances to deliver in hospitals, while poor roads and a lack of transport delay access to life-saving care.

“We want to raise one voice as women so that our concerns are heard. Access to hospitals is one of the biggest challenges in our community,” Joseph said.

Another participant from Goroyo New Site also identified healthcare as a priority issue, saying the absence of nearby health facilities leaves families struggling whenever children fall sick or women go into labour.She added that the situation worsens during the rainy season, when flooding makes the already poor roads difficult to pass.

The programme is expected to enable the women leaders to produce advocacy position papers and petitions that will be presented to relevant authorities to push for improved protection and essential services for women and girls in their communities.