The Early Warning Monitoring Fellowship is helping fellows build the confidence to stand up to challenges they previously felt unable to address, reports DEBORAH YAR:
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. “Through the discussions and experiences we shared, I became more aware of the risks and challenges we encounter in our work.”
Before joining the program, Viola believed that questioning authority could put her job at risk. She thought compliance was the only path to survival in the newsroom.
“I believed that whatever your boss says, you must follow without question,” she says.
But the fellowship discussions challenged that belief. During training sessions, participants explored how harassment, intimidation, and exploitation affect female journalists. They learned to recognize when professional boundaries are crossed—and how to respond.
“Through the fellowship, I learned that you should not allow yourself to be exploited just because you are female,” Viola says.
That lesson changed everything.
Now, when faced with threats or unfair treatment, Viola responds differently. She no longer freezes. She no longer complies out of fear.
“If someone threatens or harasses you, you don’t have to comply,” she explains. “Now I can stand up for myself, speak confidently, and report any form of harassment or misconduct.”
Across South Sudan, fellows like Viola are doing more than reporting on their communities. They are building a network of women who understand their rights and support one another. They are learning that professional integrity and personal safety are not luxuries—they are necessities.
For Viola, the fellowship provided something no classroom training ever could: the confidence to walk into any room and know she belongs there, on her own terms.
For Viola, the fellowship did more than connect journalists across states. It gave her the confidence to defend her rights and continue reporting with integrity.
Across South Sudan, fellows like Viola are strengthening the network of women journalists who support one another while helping build safer early warning and protection systems.
