برافو(ربيكا جوشوا اوكواشي)وهي تعمل مع آخريات من اجل السلام!

Quote: Rebecca Joshua Okwaci Region: Africa Conflict-Affected Area: South Sudan Position: Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services Organization: Government of the Republic of South Sudan Expertise: Democracy, Political Participation, and Governance Rebecca Joshua Okwaci says, “During the war, when we were on the run and fighting to stop the bombing of our villages, our people often gave us eggs and chickens to eat. Now we are giving them back peace and stability.” Committed to building that peace, today she is currently the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services in the government of the Republic of South Sudan. In 1986, during the second Sudanese civil war, Ms. Okwaci joined the newly formed Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army and became a journalist with Radio SPLA. She was known as the “voice of the revolution,” broadcasting inside and outside the country and producing the only program that focused on women’s mobilization. Ms. Okwaci is a founding member of Sudanese Women Association in Nairobi, Sudanese Women Voice for Peace, and Sudanese Women Empowerment for Peace, as well as Secretary-General of Women Action for Development (WAD); all are women’s initiatives for advocacy, peace, and development. Together with a colleague from north Sudan, she received an award from the American Peace Foundation in recognition of Sudanese women’s contributions to peacebuilding. She was a 2006 Women Peacemaker—a group selected each year by the Institute of Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego. She participated in the 1995 Beijing Conference for Women and The Hague Appeal for Peace 1999. She spoke to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about the role of Sudanese women in achieving peace in Sudan. Ms. Okwaci is a graduate of Alexandria University in Egypt with a degree in English language, literature, and translation. She is a master’s student of communication development at Daystar University in Kenya, where she became a professional journalist with extensive work in radio production. She’s a mother, sportswoman, poet, and hymn singer. Ms. Okwaci is a founding member of the Women Waging Peace Network. Last Updated: December 2013