SOUTH SUDAN / AUSTRALIAN PEACEKEEPER

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04-Dec-2020 00:03:09
Despite the pressures of her duties serving in the UNMISS Joint Operations Centre at Force Headquarters in Juba, an Australian army officer is using her rare spare time to lead a project to help local children access education at schools near the United Nations base. UNMISS

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STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / AUSTRALIAN PEACEKEEPER
TRT: 03:09
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 27 NOVEMBER 2020, JUBA / MALAKAL, SOUTH SUDAN

SHOTLIST:

12 NOVEMBER 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

1. Med shot, Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon showing book to local family
2. Med shot, Palfrey-Sneddon showing book to local family
3. Wide shot, peacekeepers in school room with school principal
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“Working for the United Nations has been a dream of mine for a very long time. But to work for such a large organization sometimes it feels as if we are not able to reach the people that we are here to work alongside. So, to be able to be involved in the community, make friends with the teachers, the staff and to get some pearls of wisdom from some of the students has been an absolute highlight of my time in South Sudan.”
5. Various shots, book
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“When I reflect on my own journey, I realize how much of it starts in the home. In my case, that started with having a very long line of very capable and determined women who helped to show me the way. It came from parents who afforded me with every opportunity they would have afforded a son and from having a brother and sister who continue to be two of my greatest role models today.”

27 NOVEMBER 2020, MALAKAL, SOUTH SUDAN

7. Wide shot, female Rwandan peacekeeper commanding parade

12 NOVEMBER 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“I think the 20th anniversary of Women, Peace and Security is, first of all a huge milestone, but it’s also one that I feel particularly passionate and privileged to be able to celebrate while being deployed in a role in which its pillars have been at the forefront for so long. Something I recently heard that resonated about the progress that’s been made in those last 20 years is the shift in mindset, which is that we are no longer adding minority and under-represented groups to a problem but instead questioning why they were never there in the first place. And I think this points to a really crucial and powerful step in being able to amplify those voices to dismantle the systems of oppression that has silenced them for too long and to encourage us all to do our part.”

27 NOVEMBER 2020, MALAKAL, SOUTH SUDAN

9. Med shot, Palfrey-Sneddon with Indian Peacekeepers
10. Med shot, Palfrey-Sneddon with Indian Peacekeepers

12 NOVEMBER 2020, JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“I think, most recently, it also comes from my husband Harry, who always sees me as his equal, who often reminds me of the strengths I can offer a team in which I might not necessarily look or think the same way that they do and in a way lately it feels like I’m coming full circle and for the first time considering starting a family of my own and we want our children to be raised in a world where they understand the responsibilities which come with any privilege they might have and that until all of us are free, none of us are, and I think if there’s one thing that I’ve learnt from my time in South Sudan, it’s that that example has to be set from us and we have to show them the way.”

27 NOVEMBER 2020, MALAKAL, SOUTH SUDAN

12. Med shot, Palfrey-Sneddon seated with Indian Commander

STORYLINE:

Despite the pressures of her duties serving in the UNMISS Joint Operations Centre at Force Headquarters in Juba, an Australian army officer is using her rare spare time to lead a project to help local children access education at schools near the United Nations base.

Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon has come full circle in her life. Born in Zimbabwe, she moved to Australia when she was eight years old. Twenty years later, she is back in her home continent serving as a United Nations peacekeeper in South Sudan, which is recovering from a brutal five-year long civil war.

SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“Working for the United Nations has been a dream of mine for a very long time. But to work for such a large organization sometimes it feels as if we are not able to reach the people that we are here to work alongside. So, to be able to be involved in the community, make friends with the teachers, the staff and to get some pearls of wisdom from some of the students has been an absolute highlight of my time in South Sudan.”

She has produced and is selling a special book using photos and inspirational quotes from the children to raise funds to pay school fees for orphans and children in single-parent families, to provide food, books and improve classrooms.

Having previously deployed with an Aboriginal community assistance program in Australia, she is passionate about improving living standards in remote communities and creating opportunities for indigenous peoples.

In South Sudan, women and girls are often denied access to education, jobs, and participation in political processes as well as subjected to sexual violence and early and forced marriage. Empowering them is something this peacekeeper feels passionately about.

SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“When I reflect on my own journey, I realize how much of it starts in the home. In my case, that started with having a very long line of very capable and determined women who helped to show me the way. It came from parents who afforded me with every opportunity they would have afforded a son and from having a brother and sister who continue to be two of my greatest role models today.”

This year, the United Nations marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, a ground-breaking step spearheaded by women leaders and organizations. It is the first resolution that recognized women’s leadership to achieve international peace and security and their contributions to conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding.

SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“I think the 20th anniversary of Women, Peace and Security is, first of all a huge milestone, but it’s also one that I feel particularly passionate and privileged to be able to celebrate while being deployed in a role in which its pillars have been at the forefront for so long. Something I recently heard that resonated about the progress that’s been made in those last 20 years is the shift in mindset, which is that we are no longer adding minority and under-represented groups to a problem but instead questioning why they were never there in the first place. And I think this points to a really crucial and powerful step in being able to amplify those voices to dismantle the systems of oppression that has silenced them for too long and to encourage us all to do our part.”

Palfrey-Sneddon’s deployment to South Sudan has been doubly difficult with the COVID-19 pandemic severely restricting the ability to move around the country, work closely with colleagues, and to mingle with the community she serves.

The rare opportunity to connect with local children and help them achieve their dreams has inspired her to think about her own future and reminds her how lucky she is to have the support of her family during these troubled times.

SOUNDBITE (English) Captain Stephanie Palfrey-Sneddon, Peacekeeper, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“I think, most recently, it also comes from my husband Harry, who always sees me as his equal, who often reminds me of the strengths I can offer a team in which I might not necessarily look or think the same way that they do and in a way lately it feels like I’m coming full circle and for the first time considering starting a family of my own and we want our children to be raised in a world where they understand the responsibilities which come with any privilege they might have and that until all of us are free, none of us are, and I think if there’s one thing that I’ve learnt from my time in South Sudan, it’s that that example has to be set from us and we have to show them the way.”

Preparing to return home after her deployment, Palfrey-Sneddon can be confident that she has led by example and touched the lives of the others, giving them hope that they can also achieve their dreams.
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Geographic Subjects
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UNMISS
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unifeed201204f
Asset ID
2588946