The manager of an office intervenes to teach his employee about gender equality, and explain why the female applicant should be given the job.

Juba, November 8 2007: In the Wonduruba market in Southern Sudan, community members paused and listened as a familiar song momentarily blocked out the sound of the every-day hustle and bustle. It was a song they'd heard before at weddings, dances, and funerals; a song that some had sung themselves. This time, however, the song was coming from the mouths of large, brightly-coloured puppets, and the crowd gathered around to watch the performance.

In the skit performed at the Wonduruba market, a man refused the applications of two women who wanted to work in his office, on the grounds that they were “just mere women” and “women should just work in the home”. At the end of the skit, the man’s boss intervenes and teaches him about gender equality.

After each performance the puppets engage the crowd in a question and answer discussion about the issues raised. Lona Gire, a wife and mother in the Wonduruba community, said, “I am not happy because these ladies were chased away. Adult and girls education should be there, but if we are faced with problems when we try to work in offices, what are we to do?”

The puppetry troupe, composed of 14 men and women aged 22-24, was formed through the Recovery and Rehabilitation Programmeme that has a consortium of 6 NGOs working in Central Equatoria to establish vocational training centers, rehabilitate 44 community water points, construct pit latrines, construct and equip five health care centers, and build roads and bridges.

As puppets sing an introductory song, a crowd gathers around the puppet set in Wonderuba, curious to see what the commotion is about.

Ruth Faber, project manager of the Central Equatoria RRP, said, “Puppetry is very effective in creating discussion on sensitive issues such as HIV/AIDS, hygiene, education, and land ownership.” So far, the group has held about 10 performances for the Wonduruba community, each one opening with a community song.

Especially in Southern Sudan where there are few radio stations and newspapers, puppetry is an effective form of communication and advocacy. The puppet show helps to break the barrier of illiteracy and language when delivering its messages to the audience.

In fact, illiteracy is high in the south, as Southern Sudan has the lowest access to primary education in the world, with a school enrolment rate of only 20 percent and females accounting for only a quarter of children attending school. Puppet shows do not require the audience to read, and explain delicate issues in a comfortable and engaging manner.

In another skit, the troupe performs on the use of household pit latrines, to deliver messages on improving sanitation and hygiene. One of the characters complains that it is not possible to dig pit latrines because people in his community often do not have shovels. “Do you see any dead people lying around on the ground?” asks the development worker. “No,” the man responds, and the development worker replies, “Then, what do you use to dig graves?” The characters illustrate how it is possible to use local materials as tools to dig and build a pit latrine.

Scriptwriter Lomodon Lino said his favourite topic is adult and girls education, “because education has no end, and young people should not just think about dancing and getting married.”

A female puppet laments that she cannot find work because she is a woman.

In addition to the puppetry group in Wonduruba, the Central Equatoria RRP has initiated a troupe in Katigiri. Each troupe has a secretary, treasurer, and chairperson, and will continue to perform on behalf of the RRP, and independently. Plans are underway to use giant “puppets” that will walk on stilts.

The Central Equatoria RRP, is part of a larger recovery Programmeme implemented in ten states across Sudan. Following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005, the European Commission re-launched its development assistance with a € 54.3 million quick-start Recovery and Rehabilitation Programmeme (RRP). The RRP is a four-year initiative (2006 – 2009) administered by UNDP on behalf of the Government of National Unity and the Government of South Sudan.

The RRP is the largest and most comprehensive recovery Programmeme in Sudan serving up to 800,000 Sudanese. A total of 47 national and international NGOs are working together across the country to build water points, healthcare units, schools, and sanitation systems; design projects that provide families an opportunity to earn an income; improve the local administration’s performance capacity; and respond to priority needs defined by the communities themselves.

For more information on the RRP, please contact:
Jami Schievelbein
Information Liaison Officer
Jami.schievelbein@undp.org