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Issues in FocusWomen Graduate as Electricians Houida and Fozia recently graduated from a vocational training course in electricity – a rare feat for young Sudanese women from Wad el-Bashir, an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp in Khartoum State. When local community-based organization Sadaga announced it was partnering with FAR to offer vocational training in a variety of areas, the friends jumped at the opportunity to learn an income-generating skill. Fozia’s cousin was working as an electrician and his experience and wages sparked her interest. When she told her family that she would be studying to be an electrician they thought she was joking; only days earlier she had given herself an electric shock attempting to fix a socket! Houida, the eldest of four daughters, was eager to learn a skill that would allow her to help her parents get her younger sisters through school. She also knew that studying a traditionally male skill would set her apart and challenge the idea that women should stay within traditionally female roles and careers. On the first day of class Houida and Fozia were as nervous as their classmates were surprised to see two women in their midst. Some of the men thought the pretty girls would distract them from their studies; others tried to sabotage their work. In one instance, someone unplugged Houida’s work from the socket, making it impossible for her connection to work during a test. Tensions culminated when a classmate gave the women a book teaching that a woman belonged in only three places: her father’s home, her husband’s home, or her grave. Their teacher was not happy about the way the women were being treated and organized a seminar to talk about the conflict and figure out a way for the men and women to learn and work side-by-side. The seminar was a turning point. Getting the issues into the open gave everyone the opportunity to discuss what was making them uncomfortable and to find solutions. The women gained the respect of their colleagues with their logic. The pair challenged the men to treat them with respect rather than shower them with negative or flirtatious attention: “We told the men that if we were taking their attention away from their work then they were being weak; that they should show their strength by controlling themselves. If they want to show their masculinity,” Fozia continued, “they should show it by protecting women and being gentle, not giving them sexual attention”. “Our motivation was not to attract men”, Houida explains. “We wanted to learn about electricity for the same reasons as the men, so that we can have good careers and generate income in the future.” The initial resistance Houida and Fozia met inspired them to study hard and prove that they were worthy to learn and work alongside their male colleagues. In time, and with much perseverance and hard work, Houida and Fozia proved themselves capable. By the end of the course the students had not only learned a great deal about electricity but also became a tightly knit group: “We became like family” Houida says, “like brothers and sisters”. Hostility and resistance were transformed into friendship and support. The graduation ceremony, attended by government officials, professors, representatives from the vocational training centers and organizing bodies as well as community members and graduates, was a wonderful celebration. Part of the graduation was a skills exhibition, which, according to Fozia, was the most important part of the day. “By showing our skills to the community, they realize what our certificates mean; that we now have the knowledge and experience to work with electricity.” While still enjoying their significant accomplishment, Houida and Fozia are apprehensive about their ability to get jobs in the future. They worry that employers will not want to hire women and that the resistance they found at the beginning of the course will be prevalent in the workforce. Nonetheless, Houida and Fozia are encouraged by the support they received. Their electricity teacher was instrumental in their success: he treated them equally from the beginning and went to great lengths to make sure their colleagues did not expect the women to clean up after them. Recovering from a fit of laughter, Fozia remembers a particularly funny incident: “One time our teacher made me and Houida stand outside. We didn’t know why, until we came back in and he had made the boys clean the lab! He wanted to make sure the men didn’t think we would always be cleaning up after them”. The bus driver, who took the trainees to Khartoum every day, also played a role in their success. He ensured that Houida and Fozia got to class and home again safely – waiting for them even if they were late. He set a good example for Houida’s and Fozia’s classmates, always showing courtesy and respect for the women and using his position to protect them. Houida and Fozia hope their success will encourage other girls in their community to learn an income-generating skill and to use their time and talents for something useful. The women want parents to know that they can trust their daughters to study. In fact, Houida believes that “when young women have something positive to put their energy into and are doing something useful with their time they are less likely to get into trouble or get pregnant”. Fozia hopes that people outside IDP camps will realize that the young people in these camps are ambitious and bright: “We have real, employable, skills and can be hired to do more than domestic tasks”. |
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