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Over the past year, the Monitoring Fellowship has helped strengthen local early warning and protection systems across South Sudan, reports DEBORAH YAR: For Arich Deng, a monitoring fellow from Juba, that system has brought something deeply personal: courage. “To me personally, I think it has given me more courage, not like before.

Over the past year, a fellowship has built a human-centered early warning network across South Sudan. For Florence Gume, a monitoring fellow from Western Equatoria, that network is a lifeline—connecting her to female journalists nationwide to detect threats, share strategies, and trigger protection faster.

Through the program’s discussions and training sessions, participants shared their experiences and explored the challenges women journalists often encounter in their work. “The fellowship gave us a space to interact with female journalist colleagues from different states,” Simona explains.

For Catherine Adut, an Early Warning Monitoring Fellow from Lakes State, the fellowship changed how she understands her role—not only as a journalist, but also as someone who can support and guide other women in the profession, reports DEBORAH YAR: Before joining the program, Catherine says she often kept quiet when facing stressful situations at work. Some issues felt normal, even when they were unfair. But the fellowship helped her see things differently.

For Viola Nyoka, an Early Warning Monitoring Fellow from Yei, the fellowship opened a door she didn’t know existed. It connected her with other female journalists across South Sudan—and, more importantly, with their shared experiences. “The fellowship connected me with other female journalists from different places,” Viola explains.

Finding Support Through Connection – For Vivian Nandege, an Early Warning Monitoring Fellow from Yei, the fellowship created an opportunity to connect with other female journalists and learn how to respond when challenges arise in the profession, reports DEBORAH YAR. Through the program, fellows from different parts of South Sudan were able to share experiences and discuss the risks female journalists often face while doing their work.

Through the program, she connected with colleagues from different states who are also part of the fellowship. “Even though we have not met physically, we built strong connections through the program,” Cecilia explains. These connections helped create a network where female journalists could share experiences and learn from one another. One of the most important lessons Cecilia took from the fellowship was the importance of speaking openly about challenges instead of keeping them private.

The story involved a group of women who organized themselves to clean the local airstrip ahead of the reception of the late Bona Malual. Although government funds had reportedly been allocated for road and airstrip maintenance, much of the work had not been completed. As a result, community members stepped in to carry out the work themselves. Assunta visited the airstrip and interviewed the women involved in the initiative.

For Aleng Vicky, an Early Warning Monitoring Fellow from Torit, the fellowship created new opportunities to connect with female journalists across Eastern Equatoria, reports DEBORAH YAR. Before joining the program, she says many women journalists worked in isolation, rarely interacting with colleagues outside their immediate workplaces. “Through the fellowship we created a WhatsApp group for female journalists,” Vicky explains.

For Arich Deng, a monitoring fellow from Juba, that system has brought something deeply personal: courage. “To me personally, I think it has given me more courage, not like before. Because now we know that when you are out there doing your work, there is someone behind you — someone to support and back you up if something goes wrong.” The fellowship connects monitoring fellows across states, strengthening how early warning works in practice — from risk detection to safe escalation and response.