(eTN) – A Southern Sudanese lady has been employed as a pilot by Ethiopian Airlines, now flying as a First Officer, aka co-pilot on B737 aircraft. It is thought that Ms. Aluel Bol Aluenge is the first Southern Sudanese woman to accomplish qualifying as a commercial pilot holding an ATPL and then being employed by one of Africaโs leading airlines.
Ms. Aluenge has turned into a role model for young Southern Sudanese girls. She grew up in the United States where her parents resettled after being forced to flee by the aggression and oppression of the Khartoum regimeโs harsh treatment of the Southern population during the years of occupation and civil war.
Traditional ways of life, especially in the rural areas of Southern Sudan, continue to see less girls advance in education, and while this is gradually changing, especially in urban areas, the development of the girl child and equal opportunities of education and in professions remains a challenge both parents and community leaders need to address.
Ms. Aluenge is to be commended for her achievement and giving hope and inspiration to a whole generation of young girls and young women in the Southern Sudan.