As part of the International Youth Day celebrations, the U.S. Embassy in Juba congratulated 582 South Sudanese youth aged 15-29 who graduated from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Youth Empowerment Activity (YEA) training on 12 August in Juba.
According to a press statement, USAID’s Youth Empowerment project collaborated with civil society organizations and volunteer youth trainers targeting 317 females and 265 males, aged 15 to 29. The four-month program included numeracy and literacy strengthening and work experience to build life and employability skills. Participants also received training on sexual reproductive health information and how to use non-violent advocacy and action to address personal and community conflicts.
The graduates from Juba join the more than 7,000 youth who have participated in YEA. By the end of this year, close to 14,000 youth will have benefited from this USAID program across South Sudan.
The USAID Youth Empowerment Activity aims to enhance functional literacy, numeracy, entrepreneurship, and livelihood skills for 25,000 South Sudanese youth (ages 15 to 29) across 13 counties, including Juba, in different centers enabling them to lead healthier lives, generate income, and contribute to the social cohesion of their communities. The program funded by USAID is being implemented by the Education Development Center as the technical lead.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Education Development Centre (EDC) Director Patrick Egan said they would be graduating 1,500 students in Juba between August and October.
“The USAID Youth Empowerment Activity will be graduating 1,500 in Juba this month and between now and October and across the country in the five states that we’re working with our consortium partners in Upper Nile, Jonglei, Unity, Eastern Equatoria, Western Bahr el-Ghazal, we’re on track to be graduating 14,000 in the first two years of this program. Our overall target is 25,000,” Egan said.
He said the program provides the youth with tools to provide for themselves and their families.
“When USAID designed this program they wanted to move away from humanitarian assistance and dependency and to help the youth of South Sudan stand on their own two feet. They wanted to give them tools to succeed for themselves and their families and from what we’ve seen, this little bit of help that has been given to the youth of South Sudan has succeeded enormously.”
USAID Deputy Mission Director Yohannes Araya said the youth have been impacted with skills to be more active contributors to their communities.
“Congratulations to the youth graduating today from the YEA project with stronger literacy skills, work experience, and as community sexual and reproductive health educators and resources. These young people will be role models and more active contributors to their communities. As we mark this graduation let’s not forget that over 2.8 million young people remain out of school in South Sudan,” said Araya.
One of the beneficiaries of the program, Agnes Kiden Yosa, lauded the US agency for providing them with skills and knowledge to improve their lives.
Kiden, who dropped out from Senior Four due to lack of school fees, said the skills she acquired would help her set up her own business. With the training and the skills that I have acquired, I am now a young business girl. I do my online business and I have taken myself to a higher level,” said Kiden.