U.S. embassy gives $5,000 for GBV fight in South Sudan

August 23, 2015 (JUBA) – The United States embassy in South Sudan has awarded a local non-governmental entity $5,000 to help in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) in the war-torn nation.

The U.S donation was given to Nile Hope, a locally-based South Sudanese humanitarian organization that seeks to strengthen communities for sustainable development via projects in the areas of health, education, protection, and peace building.

In 2015, ex-U.S ambassador to Juba, Suzan Page won the U.S. Department of State’s Sue. M. Cobb award in the amount of $5,000 and requested her predecessor, Molly Phee to select a local organization assisting South Sudanese women to receive the money.

“During my assignment to South Sudan, countless women and girls have suffered from sexual assault. I have great admiration for the work of Nile Hope in assisting communities in need and I am confident they will use these resources to help the fight against gender-based violence by increasing awareness and providing support to victims,” said ambassador Phee in a statement.

She added, “Like me, Ambassador Page has great admiration for the women and girls of this country and we share a desire to see improvements in their safety and security.”

The entity, among others, builds capacity of women in relation to prevention of gender-based violence, provides accurate and updated information on where and which types of support services are available for community members and trains community leaders on identifying, addressing and preventing gender-based violence.

In 2016, the U.S reportedly provided over $2 million to support the fight against GBV through South Sudan’s education and health sectors.

(ST)