Olivia Rebecca Oliver speaking to Eye Radio after graduation ceremony in Juba on Monday, 12th August 2024. Photo Credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio

24-year-old Olivia Rebecca Oliver, a secondary school drop out was among 152 young South Sudanese who graduated on Monday after completing a four-and – a half-month training on business skills in Juba, thanks to USAID’s Youth Empowerment Activity.

The initiative is one of ongoing Youth Empowerment Activities aimed to impart knowledge and skills that will enable youth to lead healthy, engaged, and productive lives.

It is part of $43.5 million four-year project which kicked off early 2023, prioritizing youth-led, youth-serving interventions in the grassroots communities with the aim to reach 25, 000 youth across the country.

The project first started with recruitment and training of 500 youth leaders across South Sudan  as mentors for marginalized youth.

In April this year, USAID through its implementing partner, EDC,  graduated about 6,000 youth aged between 15 and 29 from remote parts of the country on numerical literacy.

The Monday’s graduation which coincided the International Youth Day is a reflection of what USAID strives  in youth empowerment across the country.

This particular training focused on enhancing youth business skills from how to conduct market survey to setting up successful business.

24-year-old Olivia Rebecca Oliver, who is one of the beneficiaries dropped out of school at S.2 in 2020.

She said her father,  a wildlife warden, and mother -both  government employees could not afford her tuition fees due to the delays in civil servants salaries.

“I’m a drop out in Senior Two due to crisis of not paying my school fees because my father and my mother were not able to raise the money,” she said.

Rebecca is working in a salon at Customs market in Juba. She says her next goal to set up her own as a short term plan.

“It (the training) really touched my heart. I want to be my own boss where I can work so that I can go ahead. The first thing I have to do is, to go and open a salon.

“Because we are taught if you want to achieve your goal, you have to go with a short term which now I am doing goal, and then have your long-term goal. I will be able to get my answer alone.”

Patrick Egan, the Education Development Centre Chief of Party said; “We are celebrating the graduation of 152 youth who are here at Juba Day School. These are youth graduating from the USAID Youth Empowerment activity.

“USAID Youth Empowerment activity has been running for the past four and a half months, four days a week in which volunteer trainers are training youth in the methodology of how to successfully set up their own business to market surveys eventually be your own boss.

In his remarks during the graduation ceremony, the deputy head of USAID says there is no better way to change South Sudan than inspiring, training, and educating youth.

“There is no better way to change South Sudan then to inspire, train and educate youth to believe they can make a positive difference,” said Yohannes Araya.

Mr Araya said the program is more of enabling the youth realize the potential and contribute positively in the communities while improving their lives

“We believe that if a young person can learn how to read and write, he or she can start a business or find a job and provide for themselves, their families and their communities.

“When they can provide for themselves, they can stay healthy and begin to contribute to social cohesion and development of the community.”

The USAID Youth Empowerment Activity, implemented by the Education Development Centre, aims to improve access to functional skills so that youth can lead healthier lives, generate income, and contribute to the social cohesion of their communities.

The activity also supports young people with leadership models and peer mentorship, which strengthen positive youth development and youth-responsive services.

The event was marked under the theme ‘celebrating youth corps achievements in skills building and creating opportunities for personal and community growth.