The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Education Development Center (EDC), on Friday handed over multiple in-kind grant items to youth-led and youth-focused organizations in Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
The 17 entities that benefited are from the counties of Wau and Jur River.
The in-kind grants included 200 plastic chairs, tables, solar panels and batteries, plastic sheets, laptop computers, and items totaling USD 170,000.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony, EDC’s chief of party in South Sudan, Patrick Egan, said the grant is meant to improve youth livelihoods through investing in the education sector and resilience.
“We are working in a consortium with local organizations such as the Women’s Advancement Organization, Nile Hope, Luol Deng Foundation, etc. to implement the youth empowerment activity here,” he said. “It is a four-year program and we are targeting 25,000 youth. We are trying to help them achieve greater literacy and numeracy by offering classes in payams and bomas and in the city centers to bring in youths that have never had access to basic education to have limited access to basic education.”
“We want to link those education activities with livelihoods and income-generating small and medium business owners that are willing to engage these youth,” Egan added.
He revealed that EDC is also looking at a section of reproductive health education, peacebuilding, and the media.
On behalf of the state government, Cabinet Affairs Minister Arkangelo Anyar Anyar thanked USAID for the grants and said they will alleviate youth unemployment.
“You have answered 50 percent of the questions of the youth and that means you have answered 50 percent of the challenges we are facing one of which is youth unemployment,” he stated. “I want to also, on behalf of the Government of Western Bahr el Ghazal State, acknowledge that it is not the first time for America to support us and you know how we went through the referendum until we became independent.”
Anyar called on the youth to put the items they received to good and proper use and ensure that they have a positive impact.
Some of the benefices expressed happiness, thanked USAID, and said they will make use of the items to improve their livelihoods.
A beneficiary from the Alur Youth Union, Angelina Nyiraw, said she was overjoyed because USAID had fulfilled their promise.
“I am very today because USAID is handing over the in-kind grants they have been promising,” she said. “The main purpose of these in-kind grants is to help the youth and their livelihoods.”
Another beneficiary, David Lawrence, the chairperson of the youth union in the state, said the youth will take full responsibility for looking after the items.
“The responsibility is now in our hands the youth because we used to complain that all projects were emergency projects but this one is now a developmental project,” he said. “The issue now is how we can take care of these in-kind grant items because this project will run for between 4 to 5 years.”