LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMS HELP YOUTH OVERCOME POVERTY AND CONFLICT IN SOUTH SUDAN

Moses, 22, is making a cloth for sell in his shop in Rumbek, South Sudan. Photo: Tito Justin/Save the Children 

Rumbek, South Sudan - Youths empowered by Save the Children are overcoming the distresses of war using Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) skills in Lakes State.

Youth’s like Moses suffer the brunt of the conflict. Moses’s family has limited livelihood options, of farming and business that shifted him and his family into food insecurity. Sending Moses to school was hard because his parents can’t afford to pay the tuition fees.

At the age of 18 and in senior two, Save the Children enrolled Moses for a Technical Vocational Educational Training (TVET) where he learnt tailoring skills. In 2020, Save the trained Moses on a business skills and was among other youths organized to start a business.

In 2019, Moses has his own tailoring business. He sews and sells clothes that helped him to complete his secondary school education and he is now independent. With the skills got, business established, Moses earns his own money to buy for himself basic needs such as cloths.

Moses says he was inspired to join this life skills training because he has nothing to help himself and his parents are poor and could not provide enough for him.  “I joined this business group to be trained and have my own business that I can get something to help myself and my family members in need”.

He says without support from Save the Children, he would have not completed his secondary school.

Moses earns at least 6000 SSP (about $45) every week from his tailoring business supported by Save the Children. He uses the money to support his family and keeps some to support his education. He plans to join a collage (University). Moses says, even when he goes back to join University, he wants to ensure that, his business is functional.

“I would like to tell my colleagues that, it’s better to have your own business or earning than waiting from someone”, Moses says adding that the most important thing he got from Save the Children’s initiative is that, he can no longer ask someone to give him something. He buys his own clothes. Moses has trained two of his best friends and all are running their own businesses. His message to the youth is to “leave conflict and be productive for their future”. 

Save the Children’s livelihoods project in Lakes State’s Rumbek reduces poverty and gives youth an alternative to join criminal activities such as cattle raiding, revenge killings, road ambush and combatants. Young people aged 14-25 received essential tailoring, hairdressing, carpentry and welding so they can begin rebuilding their lives and carve out a brighter future.

Between 2013 and 2018, Save the Children trained over 1300 children aged 14-25 through European Union TVET project. More than 80 per cent of the cohorts have already found stable employment in their chosen trades. Save the Children with funding from DANIDA formed 20 business groups of about 400 youths who are now overcoming the distress of conflict and poverty in Rumbek, Lakes State. 

 Written by: Tito Justin/Save the Children