‘For the first time in my life, I am a financially independent woman.”
September 17, 2026 – Across South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State, women are turning business skills and access to finance into income for themselves and their families. As WPDI South Sudan and SkinnyDipped marked the completion of the partnership’s initial three-year phase this past August and its renewal for another two years, the project had already supported 431 women and helped establish 224 businesses in communities affected by conflict and economic instability. For these participants, this has meant far more than starting a business.
It has meant gaining a reliable source of income, strengthening their household’s resilience, and creating new opportunities for their children.
Launched in September 2023, the partnership aimed to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship training, savings groups, financial support, and peacebuilding education. Participants learned how to research markets, set prices, keep records, and develop business plans, with ongoing business mentorship. These practical skills have created resources for these women to demonstrate their leadership capacity and their business acumen.
Central to this project was the creation of 43 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), which give women the opportunity to save collectively and access loans to start or expand their businesses. At a fundamental level, these groups provided them their first access to financial services and the capital needed to invest in their futures.
Mary Ayen Majok, a member of one of WPDI’s VSLAs, described what this support has meant for her: “With the loan from my VSLA group, I expanded my tailoring business, producing school uniforms, traditional clothing, mosquito nets, and offering clothing repair services. I now earn approximately 200,000 SSP annually, regularly repay my loans, and have been able to purchase land and build a simple house. For the first time in my life, I am financially independent. I support my children’s education, cover household expenses, and am saving money to help my husband establish a motorcycle repair workshop. Most importantly, I have gained greater respect and decision-making power within my family, which represents a significant change for women in our community.”
Mary’s experience reflects the spirit of change reported across the project. WPDI’s monitoring team found that over 75% of the businesses established were operating successfully.
Alongside business training, 317 women took part in Conflict Resolution Education, learning how to work through disagreements and build stronger relationships in their businesses and daily lives.
With WPDI and SkinnyDipped’s support, women have developed businesses alongside networks of mutual support. Savings groups help members respond to emergencies, build financial reserves, and plan for future needs.
As the project enters its next two-year phase, it continues to build on the businesses women have established, the skills they use, and the relationships built through WPDI. This renewed phase will continue supporting a community of women who are not only earning more, but who also have greater confidence, stronger social connections, and a larger role in shaping the future of their households and communities.
For Mary and other women in the program, the impact is felt in everyday life: being able to pay for a child’s education, support a neighbor through an emergency, and have a greater say in the decisions that shape their families’ futures.
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