Cicilia Khamis (left), facing her opponent in a friendly match organized to mark the official opening of the female boxing facility in Juba on 6th June 2023. Photo Credit: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio.

The UN Population Fund and the South Sudan Boxing Federation on Tuesday launched a female boxers’ facility in Juba to promote development and gender equality through sports.

The 30 by 40 square meters ground contains gym space, a boxing ring, a dressing room, and other facilities for the female boxers.

The facility also has dignity products, sanitary towels, and other items that the female boxers need “to practice their sports with dignity.”

Dr. Ademola Olajide, the UNFPA Representative to South Sudan said he encourages female boxers to utilize the facility for the benefit of the country.

“The amount of resources we are putting into this is nothing compared to the benefit it can give to the whole society,” Olajide said.

“We don’t own the facility, we have never owned the facility it belongs to the South Sudan Boxing Federation.”

“We have handed it over but the partnership will continue. So with this facility, it is important for girls to utilize this facility not only to train themselves as better boxers but also as better women.”

Speaking at the event, the President of the South Sudan Boxing Federation Tereza Athian Abdelbagi welcomed the handing over of the renovated facility.

Ms. Athian said the facility will attract girls to take part in boxing activities.

“This initiative is actually to promote our girls and to raise awareness and to bring more girls, to encourage the girls to come and participate, and especially today we are going to have this facility as our own,” she said.

“In this facility, we are going to use it for our girls here and we will use it also for any other neighboring countries [if] they want to come and participate and if they want to come and play.”

Barbar Paul, one of the female boxers Barbra Paul said she is excited about the installed boxing venue.

Ms. Paul rejoiced at the new female boxing facility as she decries her former training in Nimra Talata which was poorly equipped and exposed to extreme weather events.

“We were facing a lot of challenges, we were being trained in Nimra Talata in an open place whereby when rain comes it disrupts us,” she said.

She said the space is enough for training and inviting opponents from other countries.

“Today, we came to find out that we are having enough space, a good environment whereby we shall start training seriously even we can really invite other countries to perform in other countries now because before we were not having a good place or enough equipment for the training.”

UNFPA said the boxing initiative is geared towards promoting the development of sports in the country and also harnessing the power of sports to end gender-based violence and other harmful practices.

It will also improve menstrual health management, according to UNFPA.