Women in Al-Malam, and in Darfur in general, have been working historically alongside men in all aspects of life. In addition to women’s role as wives and mothers, women enjoy a prominent place in the community. They are the producers in rural communities and the most influential in guiding societies and leading them to achieve their noble goals in the fields of development. Women have also helped in preserving the virtuous heritage of society, as well as guarding social harmony, and building and maintaining peace in times of crises.
In recognition of women’s role, and in the interest of achieving MDPD’s mission, MDPD launched a project in 2014 to honor active women. The “Woman of the Year” program selects a woman who has achieved a positive impact in the community during the year. The selected woman is honored in the State of Village Address event that is attended by thousands of village residents, traditional leadership, and officials. The State of Village Address event takes place in Al-Malam locality to assess the state of peace and development and to formulate a work program for the next year.
2014 Woman of The Year – Fatima Musa
The first woman to be honored with the Woman of The Year award in 2014 was Fatima Musa, who was honored for her pioneering role in preserving the values, heritage and history of the region. Fatima was also awarded for dedicating her life to mobilizing her community, and she served as an inspiration for building and reconstruction.
2015 Woman of The Year – Thoraya Abobakr
Thoraya Abobakr was awarded Woman of The Year for the year 2015 for her work on the IDP resettlement program launched by MDPD. Where it is one of the first proceeds to the village from the displaced camp in Kalima in the city of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, and once it returned to cultivate its land and start a new stable life
2016 Woman of The Year – Bida Mohammed Yagoub
Al-Malam’s Woman of The Year Program honors Bida Mohammed Yagoub in its 2016’s award reception, in recognition of her contribution in the villagers’ life at Al-Malam. Bida has worked for more than five decades to strengthen the social ties between the different groups at Al-Malam. Bida Yagoub moved to Al-Malam with her husband in the mid-seventies, and even though she is not from the local tribes she has dedicated herself to help the residents of Al-Malam area. When Bida came to the village, she immediately became part of the community, and engaged in its social life in the full capacity of a leader, who managed to transfer the diverse components of the village into inspirational strength that helped in thawing the tribal barriers in Al-Malam.
As part of her economic empowerment efforts, Bida has led a group of women entrepreneurs who became organized and engaged in a crucial role to provide the local families with access to essential goods, food, and daily needs. Bida also participated in creating an active women’s movement in the local communities.
Woman of The Year 2017 – Halima Ismail and Aisha Sharafuddin
The Woman of The Year award for 2017 was given to both Halima Adam Ismail, and Aisha Ibrahim Sharafuddin. Both Halima and Aisha led the Kila community to return to their village in February 2017 from the Marshing IDP camp in South Darfur. Both ladies have played a big role in bringing life back to Kila village after being abandoned for fourteen years.