About 35 community-based organizations (CBOs) in the Abyei Administrative Area participated in a one-day financial sustainability training on Wednesday.
The training was organized by the ministry of social development with support from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNOCHA.
Aman Abdala, Abyei's Women Union deputy chairperson said the workshop discussed challenges facing CBOs especially finances and other donor requirements.
"The meeting discussed the small projects, that's what community organizations should do in the UN's quick impact projects (QIPs)," she said. "We raised the issues which bring peace like clean drinking water, good roads among others."
Aman says she learned something at the workshop. "Our challenges as the Women Union were many but the workshop helped us to understand how important it is to open a hard currency bank account in case we got funding from well-wishers."
Akuei Valentino, a representative from the area's youth union took the opportunity to air some of their concerns.
"Some organizations come to Abyei and operate without concern for the locals. Moreover, they operate without considering job opportunities for young people of Abyei and South Sudan at large. You can only get Kenyan and Ugandan nationals working in positions for South Sudanese nationals," he said.
Meanwhile, the Director for Social Development, John Manyang said: "The meeting helps the CBOs to know their mandate and be able to sustain organizations in terms of financial management and style of keeping data and information for local organizations to support their communities in awareness-raising."