For the third year in a row we celebrated, with Ahfad University for Women and its inspiring female students, the One Billion Rising. On February 14 2015 we drummed, we rose and we danced in celebration of all the changes, like access to higher education, that have improved women’s lives in Sudan. We also asked for more to be done. Close to 1000 women and girls coming together to make their voices heard.

Our campaign focused on the Arabic word nahda (النهضة), which recognises the need to renew our commitment to women all around the world, and to awake and raise our voices to ask for better ways of raising women aspirations and protecting them against any and all types of violence. We recognised how all over and around the world people are making their voices heard. Not just politicians and celebrities, but people like the students of AUW Changes can start from the bottom up; from those future mothers, teachers and leaders. But immediate protection measures also need to be developed and implemented, to allow them and all the women of Sudan to rise (ينهضن) and achieve their dreams and roles in developing the country.

Finally this year we recognised the important role of men in our rising. We combined our efforts to create a local version of the “Break the Chain” song (كسر حاجز الخوف). We hope that this song can now itself rise and reach more people around Sudan and the world.

– One Billion Rising Team Sudan 2015 – Ahfad University for Women, World Health Organisation and British Embassy Khartoum