Women Aid Vision is a South Sudanese National Organization established in 2009 as a private, voluntary, non-political organization. WAV focuses exclusively on Women, youth and Children’s issues with special attention to Peace building and Governance, Protection, Gender Based Violence, Girls Child education support, Socio-economic empowerment, Sanitation and hygiene.

WAV uses its community based initiative approaches as an integral part of a long-term strategy to strengthen the IDPs and host communities through empowerment, protections mechanisms, peaceful coexistence gearing towards self-reliance and movements of IDPs monitored and documented in the operation areas. A community based approach to programming is an integral part of a long-term strategy that WAV has employed in its work in the community at the grassroots. WAV strongly believes in the importance of local community self-reliance and in the significant role that, community leadership; women and youth can play in re-building a society that has been affected by conflict.

This gives the community direct inputs into allocation of resources, project planning, execution and monitoring, through a process that emphasizes inclusive participation and management. The basic premise for demand-led approaches ensures that local communities are better placed to identify their shared needs and the actions necessary to address them. Increased involvement of communities contributes to a sense of community ownership, which improves the sustainability of interventions.

WAV exists to serve the needs of women, youth and children in particular as the most vulnerable groups. It is a viable civil society organization that addresses women abuses, exploitation or other challenges facing women, youth and children. WAV mobilizes resources to conduct capacity building seminars, workshops, conferences, advocacy and campaign for women, youth and children to have projects corresponding to their matters, WAV organizes to absorb the youth and young mothers into healthy businesses and practices so that, they would be productive and able to cater for their needs as well the South Sudanese society.

We need to leave behind ideas and actions and attitudes which are no longer helpful. In the past the traditional image of women in South Sudan shows that women being dependent on men, staying at home all the time, waiting for help and remain as housewives. Therefore, WAV believes that women have to be accorded equal opportunities with men as active and effective participants in the growth and development of the society.

However, with signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the then rebels Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A) in Nairobi, Kenya 2005 after 2 decades of civil war in the Sudan the former leader of the SPLM/A Dr. John Garang de Mabior had on that occasion highlighted and pointed out one thing, which is the concern about women, by giving them 25 per cent representation in political, social, moral and economic to equally participate with men in policy and decision publicly.

Nevertheless, he stated it in his marvelous speech, through this statement “Women in Sudan as elsewhere in the world, are marginalized of the marginalized, whose suffering goes beyond description. The rural women for example, gets up at 5 o’clock in the morning to walk 5km, just to get 5 gallons of water after 5hours walk, spends another 5hours working on the family farm, 5 more hours making the family meal then she goes to sleep.”

This speech gave the South Sudanese women a tremendous zeal and the momentum to dedicate themselves to work harder and harder throughout the political arena in South Sudan. However, this let women occupy few positions in all Government levels and NGOs today in South Sudan to present their issues to the relevant authorities and NGOs concern for equity and consideration.

If you find any women in any office today in South Sudan, it is the result and impact of that famous speech of the late Dr. John Garang. That speech is one of the cornerstones which promoted women in South Sudan and in Mvolo. This creates an association in women that opens and paves a new way for thinking, and a new way for living strategic modalities.

The dream of Mvolo Women Development (MWD) that is today known as Women Aid Vision is today empowering women and youth pragmatically, and to diversify their lifestyles, so that they are not only limited to the kitchen but also to the stage of arts and beyond. This is what WAV intends to mitigate gender disparity and to increase women participation in most public affairs at least by 40 per cent in the year 2030.

Women endeavor to emerge in a dynamic and participatory development. In a prosperous society, women are indispensable and complementary, as part and parcel of development process that is; financial, educational, political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal orientation to fit in the day today games to impart a culture of peace and struggle for decent life.

WAV has the task of urging women to recognize their rightful roles in response to their promotion in the public domain. One sure way of giving them ability to choose the kinds of lives they wish to lead on earth. Having chance of a healthier and happier life is everybody’s pursuance. They need to have the skills, information and self-confidence to be parents, workers and happy citizens.