EAST AFRICAN FESTIVAL
October 18, 2024The South Sudanese Women’s Empowerment Conference, organized by Komkan Africana Institute’s Wings of Wellness program. The Conference was conducted on June 8 th , 2024, at Dover Community Association in Calgary, Alberta. The report presents 8 important discussed areas namely, background, brief introduction of the conference, method, presentations, breakout sessions, problems, recommendation and conclusion.
The concept of holding the South Sudanese Women’s Empowerment Conference came against the backdrop of the worsening challenges facing the South Sudanese Women and families in Calgary including and not limited to mental health, depression and alcohol addiction, family crisis and family disintegration, homelessness, and rising rate of youth deaths from drug overdose and gang related violence. Calgary is home to an estimated 8 thousand South Sudanese – Canadians and live across all four quadrants of Calgary.
The challenges facing the South Sudanese women were exacerbated and magnified during the pandemic which caused heightened family crises and anxiety within the community. The number of breaking homes, family crises, and instances of deaths skyrocketed among the youth, issues of mental health and homelessness have risen. Disturbed by the situation, the women leaders began community consultations in March 2024 to devise the course of action to mitigate the problems which the community faces. During these consultations, the women realized that part of the reasons for the worsening crisis facing the South Sudan Community is rooted in the lack of women leadership and empowerment.
The South Sudanese Women in Calgary decided to meet and plan how to mobilize resources to convene the South Sudanese Women’s Empowerment Conference. This is the genesis of South Sudanese Women’ Empowerment Conference held at the Dover Community Association in Calgary on August 8th , 2024.
