Suzanne Jambo
Expert Spotlight
“New Sudanese Women”
Sudanese women’s and children’s rights activist Suzanne Jambo believes women’s empowerment will elevate their role in society.
“Being from South Sudan, I am a direct victim of the war. I have seen a lot of suffering, particularly among women. I hate to see women being victimized. I really hate to see that. But it’s a reality and it’s happening,” said the passionate 29-year-old.
Sudan is emerging from a 21-year civil war between the north of the country and the south. Estimates put the death toll from the war at 1.5 million people. Jambo expressed immense grief at the loss of husbands and children as well as the lack of schools for those who do survive.
“Women bear the direct brunt of war,” Jambo said. She added that women are also the first to call for a sustained peace.
To ensure that women’s victimization is replaced with inclusive participation, Jambo produced the first qualitative research of its kind on women’s issues in South Sudan. Through her research, she learned that negative customs and practices were dividing men and women. For example, in some cases women were not allowed to eat the same food as men.
While the war continued, Jambo founded the New Sudanese Indigenous Network or the NESI Network. NESI connected 47 indigenous southern Sudanese non-governmental organizations in an effort to address human rights, participatory governance, development, post-conflict strategies, and advocacy for a just and lasting peace in Sudan.
“The original founding member organizations were primarily women’s organizations, and then later on we were joined by other member organizations that were not necessarily women’s organizations. But we, the founders, were so strong on the gender equality issue, we paved the way for gender mainstreaming within the network as a civil society body. That is a major achievement,” Jambo said.
While serving with NESI, Jambo helped domestic women’s NGOs integrate into their programs gender-sensitive provisions for observation of human rights at local, regional, and international levels. She has also worked with international organizations including Amnesty International, the UN Children’s Fund, and the UN World Food Programme.
Jambo holds professional degrees in law and applied social sciences. Her first book Overcoming Gender Conflict and Bias: The Case of New Sudan Women was published in October 2001. The book explored the case of New Sudanese women at grassroots and exile levels and provided a critique of negative historic customs and the culture of conflict, with a particular focus on the impact on women and girls. The book was the first of its kind written for Sudanese women, with recommendations by the women themselves.
