“All of a sudden my desires did not matter at all, it was no longer on me to decide either I could keep studying or not. Someone else wanted to chose”.
Theresa Nyariak Maror, 23-years old is a midwifery students at Rumbek Health Institute in South Sudan. In a year time, she will be a professional midwife in a country where 1,223 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related causes.
Accessing and pursuing education in South Sudan is indeed a privilege and a matter of luck, especially for young girls. Theresa herself had to face a series of challenges to be able to attend the midwifery school. As a little girl in primary school, she enjoyed studying: her grades were good and her uncle was happy to support the studies. Unfortunately, when he had an accident and passed away, Theresa’s life changed forever. She had to quit school, leave her hometown and move far away to join other family members who might have taken care of her.
“No one had ever dare to ask me to go to the cattle camp when my uncle was alive, but a year after his passing, that was my only opportunity – said Theresa. – I could not understand the reason. I was not willing to accept that decision, I could not tolerate them to take decision on my behalf”.
Abandon school for cattle herding is the fate of many South Sudanese girls. This usually happens when the father passes away and the uncle takes charge of the family. In that case, girls’ education has a cost and it is no longer a priority and there is little these girls can do to assert their right to education. Due to poverty, child marriage and cultural and religious views, girls’ are way too often excluded from education.
“Girls is South Sudan know that their right to education is a matter of luck since it is totally subjected to men’s will and finding a man who values education is like hitting the jackpot” said Magdalen Awor – CUAMM Midwife and tutor at Rumbek Health Institute.
Despite the difficulties, Theresa was lucky enough to resume her studies after getting married to a man who valued education and today is committed to completing the midwifery studies and get the diploma at Rumbek Health Institute. The institution is being supported by Doctors with Africa CUAMM since 2020 and every year some 20 students graduate thanks also to the scholarships offered by CUAMM. In this young and fragile country, every story of education offers a glimmer of hope as it helps the nation move forward, towards a brighter and more stable future.
