On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the World Bank’s Sudan country office organized an event with the minister of education to celebrate women who are working relentlessly to ensure girls and women realize their full potential.

26-year-old Rumana was invited and had the opportunity to share her story on how her determination and motivation led her to enroll in school as a young woman. Rumana emphasized the importance of girls’ education to improve the lives of women and girls.

Today, Rumana together with her friend, run a small ice cream business to earn money to cover their school fees. Despite the age difference, Rumana has forged friendships with her fellow classmates and has become an inspiring story: you can go to school and learn at any age!

Sudan has been a GPE partner since 2013. A US$76.5 million GPE grant focuses on improving the learning environment to ensure that more children are in school and learning.

Learn more about GPE’s work in Sudan