The below article has been contributed by Mary-Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director in South Sudan.

A native of Mountcharles, Mary Ellen has many years of humanitarian leadership and front-line experience in conflict-affected countries including Afghanistan, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi.

This Saturday 13th July, Mary Ellen will be the special guest at an Afternoon Tea Party and an Antique & Vintage Fashion Show at the Bluestack Centre in Drimarone raising funds for girls’ education in South Sudan. (More details below)

by Mary Ellen McGroarty

Education is a cornerstone of development, without robust education systems poverty will continue to prevail and livelihood opportunities will be limited. The benefits of strong education systems is something we know well in Ireland. In 1966 the Irish Government announced the introduction of free secondary schooling across the country which was a gamechanger for households and communities, opening up new possibilities for millions of children. 

The introduction of free schooling was the culmination of a transformation which began in 1914 with the introduction of the Education (Provision of Meals) (Ireland) Act, 1914 to encourage parents to send their children to school. At the time, school teachers repeatedly highlighted the benefits of the midday meal which renewed alertness amongst the students, enabling them to concentrate throughout the day, and that it improved attendance among poorer students who usually made up the bulk of school absences. The benefits of school meals continue today with some 316,000 students in Ireland receiving hot meals throughout the school day. 

South Sudan is a country currently reckoning with how to educate the next generation in the same way Ireland was many decades ago. It is the world’s newest country and also among the most underdeveloped. The country was born in 2011 and the independence referendum from Sudan was the result of a decades long civil war which left the fledgling country with little in the way of infrastructure and a population that had been roiled by famine and violence for generations.  

Around 65 percent of school-aged children here aren’t in school and the literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world at just over 30 percent, even lower for women and girls. More than 1.6 million children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition, something that can have extreme negative impacts on their future ability to learn and develop the way a child should. 

Education, although recognised for its importance, is often a secondary priority to simply surviving. Education for girls is even more undervalued and deprioritised. Child marriage is still prevalent in South Sudan and a girl here is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to finish secondary school. Once a girl here hits her early teenage years, marriage becomes a priority with some statistics citing that 9 percent of girls in South Sudan are married by 15 and 52 percent by 18.

A girl’s worth is measured in how many cows she can fetch when she’s married off. 

For parents in the depths of poverty and food insecurity, marrying off a daughter means having one less mouth to feed and receiving cattle (an indicator of wealth in South Sudan) and other dowry payments. Food forms a critical part of our hierarchy of needs so it’s unsurprising that families will prioritise it over an education if they have to choose between the two. In South Sudan we aim to reduce the need for parents to be faced with this choice through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) School Meals programme. 

Schools themselves can be a haven for girls

School meals provide an alternative option for parents as they relieve pressure on households. But often the schools themselves can be a haven for girls, such as Loreto Rumbek, a primary and secondary school in Rumbek which is northwest of the country’s capital Juba. The school is run by Sister Orla Treacy, a Loreto nun from Wicklow who has been living in the community for almost two decades and working to improve opportunities for girls in South Sudan.

Sister Orla Treacy with Mary-Ellen McGroarty

Mary has been one of the students at Loreto Rumbek.

When she hit her early teens her family became anxious to marry her off and the pressure heightened when she went home for the school holidays.

But after seeing her potential and the possibilities education presented, Mary was determined to have a different future. She ran back to the school community which provided her with boarding, education, and food.

Mary has now finished her education and plans to attend university in Kenya with hopes to become a lawyer.

She has since reconciled with her family and hopes to also use her experiences to help other girls in similar circumstances.

Mary-Ellen with Mary and other students of Loreto Rumbek

Mary was one of the lucky ones to be in a school that is a safe place for girls at risk of early marriage to go. Here they can get an education, boarding, and school meals to keep them from being married off early. WFP also supports them through the school holidays so the most at-risk girls don’t have to return home where they may be pushed into marriage. 

Food can be a powerful tool.

We say in South Sudan that if you educate a girl, you can educate a nation. For millions of families across the country, WFP School Meals are the only thing keeping their children, especially the girls, in an education; Principals consistently report improved attendance and enrolment rates at schools where WFP provides the meals. Enticing and keeping children in the classroom is just the first part of the challenge but one that free daily meals are able to address. And that really is the power of food.

This Saturday 13th July all are welcome to a vintage tea party at the Bluestack Centre, Drimarone. The event will run from 2:30-5:30pm.

Tickets are just 25 euro per person, with all proceeds going to girls’ education in South Sudan. A special thanks to Seamus Quinn, London, formerly (Ardbane) Blas Restaurant and Gateway accommodation, Donegal Town for sponsoring the event.

For more information, you can call 074 973 5564 or email info@donegalbluestacks.com.

If you wish to donate online, please visit: https://gofund.me/df1e107b