Winds of Change - The Referendum and Women

The women of both north and south Sudan are remarkably tenacious and adaptive. This past decade witnessed leaders of women's groups from both regions holding joint peace conferences in an effort to put an end to two decades of war and to give their children a chance at a better life.It is this last point that has so come to identify the plight of so many of the Sudanese internally displaced people and the returnees flooding back to south Sudan. They left the south over the years because the war left them little choice. They journeyed to Darfur (part of the north) and deep into northern Sudan itself in pursuit of amenities for their families - education, medical supplies, food, even the opportunity to just hold on to life. It became a trade-off with the devil - a struggle for resources while foregoing their own personal pursuits.For the women of Sudan the referendum isn't seen so much as a political or human rights movement. Rather, they view it as the best opportunity in a generation for their kids to have a chance at a better life. In our early years of involvement in Sudan, they became the primary component of slavery and abductions. Along with their children they lived brutal lives, forced against their own will. Yet as slavery itself became more obscure, they nevertheless opted to stay in difficult circumstances often because there was better opportunity for their families in such constrained conditions. They were free to move on, but love of children convinced them to stay.The referendum is likely changing all that. Our team witnessed thousands of these women traveling for hundreds (sometimes thousands) of kilometers just to reach the southern regions and the opportunities they hoped the referendum and an independent country would provide. For the moment the majority of them are living in transitional camps as they await the chance for land, agriculture and education. Groups like the Organization For Migration (IOM) have done a remarkable job at identifying them and attempting to provide for their most basic needs. But now with thousands more like them pouring into south Sudan every week, their chances of success dwindle. Quiet conversations with them revealed that they were willing to forsake their new-found freedom and head back towards the areas they just left if they can't provide for their families. For these women, their own human rights takes second place to the welfare of their families.This returning to their former constrained circumstances is a story that yet remains untold in matters concerning the border regions between north and south Sudan. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) invested in women such as these over the past few years and it persuaded many of the returning women in the region where we work to not only stay put for the sake of their children, but also to pursue opportunities in education, health and micro-enterprise. In other words, there was something in it for the women themselves, perhaps for the first times in their lives. While CIDA's dedication (seen in the video below) proved revolutionary in the region, recent priority changes run the risk of preventing the Agency for providing effective follow-up to their original investment. That might not occur, as the Agency reassesses the conditions that are changing daily, but the risk is there and we must champion the cause of these women who live in such remote regions that the world hardly knows to assist them.CIDA has done some remarkable work, as you'll see in the video. Yet if investment dries up and in spite of the new-found ability to make their own choices because of the referendum, their love of children will drive them back to regions from where they came. This could well be the ultimate tragedy at a time when the women of Sudan made their bolt for freedom.  Such is the incredible love these mothers have for their children.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYmvbjLGvcg&w=480&h=390]