LocationsGetting Ready for Elections in South Sudan: Impact of BRIDGE Trainers
September 9, 2025
From left to right: Ahon Malou Lueth, Barnaba Mayor Deng Achiengong, John Kuot Kuany Diing, Natia Kashakashvili, Majur Stephen Dhal, Nyilueth Malou Malek, Chorima Daniel Pidomoi and Shalva Tskhakaia.
Since April 2024, UNIEAT has delivered 38 BRIDGE training workshops nationwide, in all ten States and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, to 1,003 participants (637 men and 366 women) representing the National Elections Commission (NEC), State High Election Committees (SHECs), State-level government authorities, women organizations, youth groups, disability persons organizations and media. The workshops, supported by the United Nations Integrated Electoral Assistance Team (UN IEAT), covered topics including Introduction to Electoral Administration, Building Institutional Excellence in Elections, Civic and Voter Education, Operational Planning, Gender Equality, Violence Against Women in Elections, Access to Electoral Processes, Boundary Delimitation and Voter Registration.
BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections) is an internationally renowned election training curriculum which draws on comparative examples from different countries on all aspects of electoral administration using 17 training modules.
The program stands out for its participatory methods, focusing on inclusion and engagement. Sessions are designed to be practical and interactive, with group work, role plays and energizers to keep everyone involved. The program successfully developed a cadre of 19 South Sudanese facilitators by a group of accrediting workshop facilitators. Of those, 6 facilitators were awarded BRIDGE certification after completing a minimum of 30 hours of module workshop facilitation, placing them as the first cohort of BRIDGE accredited trainers in the country
Since last year, the six facilitators were trained and mentored by senior BRIDGE facilitators, Ms. Natia Kashakashvili and Mr. Shalva Tskhakaia – each with over 20 years of experience. Filled with hope and inspiration, the South Sudanese facilitators found the workshops impactful for their daily work in supporting electoral administration and gave them a space to connect, reflect and gain confidence. A great success of this program portrays the investment in national talent. This step further signals that South Sudan is starting to build a homegrown group of qualified trainers who can continue this important work and pass on key knowledge and information to other electoral stakeholders long after the program ends.
The trainings are part of a series of initiatives to deepen institutional readiness and strengthen genuine and inclusive participation ahead of South Sudan’s anticipated first national elections in December 2026.
Testimonials
BRIDGE is supported by UNIEAT
