WPESS works directly with communities in Magwi County and beyond, using dialogue, sport, and women's leadership to turn neighbors divided by conflict into partners for peace.
Turning a playing field into common ground for communities long divided by conflict.
In March 2025, WPESS organized a football tournament held over two days in Obbo Payam, Magwi County, one of the areas hardest hit by conflict. 325 players from six bomas (Labato, Lowudo, Alia, Lerwa, Cama, and Licari) took part, including 150 women playing alongside 150 men and 25 community leaders, with more than 1,000 community members watching.
The tournament gave women a safe, supportive space to take part in sport, and brought neighboring communities together around something other than their differences. It was made possible with support from GIZ South Sudan through the Community-Driven Rural Development (CDRD) project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
"The tournament brought our children together again. For two days, we forgot we were ever divided."
"I never thought I'd play football in front of my whole community. WPESS gave me that chance."
"WPESS listens to women first. That's rare, and it's why change is actually happening here."
