When I was just a little girl, I noticed that other children in my village had a mom and a dad. When I asked my mom why, tears would fill her eyes…
You see, I was the first child, and my father couldn’t wait to have a son. But, when I was born and he saw that I was a girl, he sent my mother away saying, “let me be a gift to my mother.”
My father remarried, again in hopes of having a son. For boys are highly valued in South Sudan. His second wife became pregnant, but she too gave birth to a little girl. My father was so upset that he hung himself.
Because my mother was a single parent, she struggled to provide for me, so when I was 5, she sent me to my uncle’s house. But, when I was only in the first grade, my uncle died and my aunt pulled me out of school. I had to help her look after the younger children. She told me it wasn’t important for a girl to be in school. But, when my mother heard this, in spite of her struggles, she came and took me out of my aunt’s house and re-enrolled me in school.
Today, I am married, and we have four children. All are in school.
My husband was a mechanic but he hurt his arm and in no longer able to work. This has been challenge.
We have a very large family – there are 19 of us, which includes my mother who I take care of as her health is declining. But, I don’t mind. My mother sacrificed so much for me when I was little, and it’s because of her that I went to school and became a trained bookkeeper.
And, for the past 11 years, I’ve been a Mothers’ Union literacy and development trainer in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. During the war, my work was restricted to Juba because minefields surrounded the city. But the work has been so rewarding. Since 2000, I have seen so many men and women become numerate and literate, which has improved their lives in dramatic ways.
My work has also given me a way to provide for my family. I feel very responsible for them. My family cannot do without me. Therefore, I pray daily that the almighty God would guide me in all that I do, so that I can help my community and my family.
Sarah Jamba Festo
Mothers' Union Trainer, Diocese of Juba
