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The U.S. Embassy in Juba has announced USAID’s 43.5 million US dollar award to support a youth empowerment program in South Sudan.

In an email to Eye Radio newsroom on Nov 16, The award of the U.S. Agency for International Development  Youth Empowerment Activity is targeting 25,000 skilled and unskilled youth of diverse groups.

This aims at helping youth including girls and young women gain the knowledge and skills that enable them to lead healthy, engaged, and productive lives.

The Embassy says the four-year initiative will recruit 500 youth leaders across South Sudan and train them as mentors for marginalized youth with supportive activities that expand their access to learning, job training, civic engagement, reproductive health, and social and community cohesion.

The Youth Empowerment Activity will also support 65 local youth organizations with grants, technical training, mentorship, and organizational strengthening.

The press release cited USAID’s  Mission Director Kate Crawford as saying ” we’re building the capacity of local and community-led organizations. USAID has made it a priority to work more closely with local organizations across South Sudan”.

The US’s Education Development Center (EDC) has been selected to implement the initiative through a competitive, public solicitation.