South Sudan: Beyond the kitchen door

This end of financial year, our supporters raised an incredible $3.245 million! These funds will support the breadth of Tearfund’s work around the world, reaching people like Arop in South Sudan.

“Before, my world ended at the kitchen door,” reflects Arop, “Now I help feed animals, send children to school, and show women their worth.”

Growing up in South Sudan, Arop lived by the unwritten rules of her community: women cook meals, tend to the children and stay out of the finances. Instead she focussed on her vegetable garden, which provided just enough for family meals.

When Tearfund’s local Christian partner ACROSS began to introduce Village Savings and Loan Associations to her community, Arop was skeptical but hopeful that it might bring change. She joined the association and began training: learning how to budget, save and invest.

Soon, she discovered that her vegetables could be more than sustenance; they could be income! With a loan from her group, Arop expanded her garden. From the sale of her produce, she bought three chickens. The eggs created a new income stream, allowing her to purchase a goat and eventually, a cow, a status symbol traditionally reserved for men in her culture.

Arop marvels at all she has done. “My husband now asks for my opinion on household decisions,” she shares with quiet pride. Today, Arop has established a women’s group where she is passing her knowledge onto others, helping women step beyond the kitchen door to become providers and leaders in their community.