Stitching hope, one thread at a time: A story of women's resilience in South Sudan
Read the inspiring journey of Rose Agili, a young woman in South Sudan who transforms her tailoring business through the GREAW project. This is how resilience-building projects empower women and girls to overcome challenges, improve livelihoods, and inspire hope in times of hardship.
Rose Agili's inspiring story of overcoming challenges in her struggling tailoring business to becoming a successful tailor showcases the positive impact of the GREAW project on the resilience of young women in South Sudan. At just 23 years old, Rose is a joyful mother of a young boy and lives in Hai Kampala Boma, Rajaf. Her journey shows the meaningful changes that the GREAW project, supported by the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), is making in the community.
In early 2023, Rose and her family ran into many problems. Providing a balanced diet was a constant challenge, and her sewing machine often broke down, making it hard for her to earn enough money to support her family. Rose could only make about 100,000 SSP (approximately US$20) each month from her tailoring business, which left their future uncertain as the hunger crisis deepened. Her husband struggled to find work, and they didn’t have access to good healthcare. There were few opportunities for them to cope and build resilience.
Everything changed for Rose when she found out about the GREAW project. This initiative aims to strengthen community resilience by creating economic opportunities, promoting positive peace, using market-based strategies, and implementing climate-friendly farming practices.
After meeting the selection criteria, Rose took part in training for business identification and management. She received a new sewing machine along with tools like scissors, needles, and threads. Because of this support, her income from tailoring has grown significantly, and she now earns between 200,000 and 250,000 SSP (US$45-50) each month.
Despite ongoing challenges like unexpected machine breakdowns, limited meals, and inadequate shelter for her business, Rose has made significant progress. She can now provide her family with a wider variety of meals. She also built a semi-permanent structure for her business, paid for her child's school fees, and assisted her husband with small expenses.
As a motivated, hardworking, and business-minded woman, Rose plans to build a permanent home with her husband’s help, open a tailoring workshop, and learn how to repair and maintain sewing machines to save on future repair costs. Rose is very thankful to World Vision South Sudan and Australian Aid through ANCP for their support and encourages other young people to get involved in initiatives that aim to improve food and income security while building resilience in South Sudan.