South Sudan Girls’ Sanitation and Education Project

Mawien Ariik (known as Ariik) was born in 1989 in the village of Lou Ariik, South Sudan. At the age of 8, he learned that his father (Ariik Dut) had died in the South Sudan war along with millions of others while fighting for the freedom of his people.

This sad loss became Ariik’s motivation to continue the legacy of freedom that his father fought for, and to ensure those efforts were not in vain. Ariik created South Sudan Health Matters Inc (SSHM) as a platform for identifying the basic needs of the village and surrounding parts of South Sudan. Needs such as basic healthcare, education, clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Ariik is married with two children and works in the banking sector.

Ariik will describe a lighthouse project planned for rollout in his native South Sudan by the South Sudan Health Matters organisation he chairs. The project will receive program and financial support from RCM, and possibly District 9800. It is close to initiation.

In South Sudan’s remote Lou Ariik Village, it is the common experience for girls to miss school during menstruation and because of poor sanitation and hygiene, infection rates are higher than they should be. Most schools are also ‘under the trees’ schools. This project will distribute 800 re-usable menstrual hygiene kits with a carefully designed education program. The principal intended outcome is to improve girls’ school retention and educational performance.

In broader terms, the project is designed to empower girls, address traditional cultural mores sensitively, and reduce infection rates. Menstrual hygiene is something that the first world takes for granted. In South Sudan, one of the newest and poorest countries in the world, poor hygiene results in significant reduction of long-term life chances for women. Ariik will overview the project and describe how such a simple intervention can achieve significant outcomes.

Project initiation has been a complex affair: locating professional local partners; securing funding; designing a fit-for-purpose program; and building in sustainability, has been a challenge. Members of RCM’s International Committee have been closely involved in program design, fund-raising, and assistance with selection of local partners. The project is very close to meeting its AU$20,000 target, which translates to $25/head, a small cost for a marvellous benefit. This is SSHM’s first project. With appropriate partners, it aims to design and deliver a range of health improvement projects in the future to address one of the nation’s largest national infrastructure gaps.

As a part of its project fund-raising contribution, Cecily Neil has kindly made her apartment available on Saturday evening 11 June for a ‘Taste of Africa’ night ($50/head) where members can find out more about the project and South Sudan whilst enjoying an authentic African experience. The Bulletin will have the TryBooking details.