I originally posted this on Open Equal Free – check out the site!

Women who left the worn-torn country of Sudan were given a clear message at a recent conference: the path to success in the United States is paved by education.

The 2012 Sudanese Women’s Empowerment Conference was held in West Des Moines, Iowa, last week. The conference was created to encourage Sudanese American women to further their own education in hopes of a brighter future for themselves and their families. When a woman is educated, the entire family benefits due to her ability to bring in a higher income.

One woman attendee, Leah Lako, shared her own story of how she went from working at a meat-packing facility to finding employment as a nurse’s aide. Continuing her education today, she plans to eventually become a nurse.

According to the United Nations Development Programme, women in Southern Sudan have been especially vulnerable, having been denied an education. Additionally, language barriers make education much more difficult to attain. In the end, Sudanese American women are faced with a double-edged sword and must overcome difficult barriers.

It was with hope that the women of the recent Sudanese Women’s Empowerment Conference took to heart the powerful message of how important education is in the United States and around the world.

Creative Commons Love: Tim McKulka on Flickr.com