In a country where violence, poverty, and inequality have shaped the lives of countless women and children, a powerful shift is quietly taking place at the grassroots level.
Lirya Women Association, located in Lirya Payam of Juba County, is showing what’s possible when women are given the chance to lead. Born in 2021 through the Leaders of Peace project implemented by EVE Organization for Women Development, the association began as a group of women trained in peace-building, leadership, and women’s rights.
Today, Lirya Women Association is a driving force behind gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, child protection, and women’s empowerment in their community through a sub-grant from EVE Organization that enabled them to take their work to the next level.
“We started as learners in 2021,” says Christine Nakulang the charlady of the association, “EVE Organization opened our eyes to the power we have as women. Now, we’re creating real change.”
According to the Chairlady, they have seen a deeper need that requires an action.
“In our villages, girls were dropping out of school, early marriages were happening in silence, and women were suffering in silence from abuse and cases of kidnaping children,” explains Nakulang. “We knew we had to act.”
In 2025, EVE provided Lirya Women Association with another sub-grant under its grassroots funding initiative. Though modest in size, the grant enabled the group to formally launch a 5-day community project focused on GBV prevention and child protection.
Through its efforts, the Organization reached over 250 participants with 50 from each boma including women, men and youth in direct conversations, and created a network of trusted peer educators.
As their mission continues, Lirya Women Association is underway lobbying for women’s rights and child protection in the grassroots and educating communities on the harmful acts of Gender Based Violence.
“We want to expand,” said John Longe. “There are other villages, other girls, other women still suffering. We won’t stop until every woman knows her rights and every child is safe.”
Lirya Women Association stands today as a testament to the potential of grassroots women’s leadership in South Sudan. What began as a training cohort has evolved into a movement of fearless women reclaiming power, voice, and purpose.
“We are no longer waiting for help,” said the Chairlady. “We are helping ourselves and lifting others as we rise.”
Today, the association continues to serve as a grassroots force for change building awareness, empowering women, supporting survivors, and fostering a culture of protection in South Sudan.
