Some youth who received the startup kits after completing a three month training at Multiservice Training Center in Juba on 20th July 2022. Credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio

Some youth who graduated with vocational skills at Multiservice Training Center in Juba have said they will use the newly acquired skills to support their families and communities.

On Tuesday, the Lutheran World Federation in South Sudan graduated over 50 vulnerable youth in vocational skills to improve their income level.

This is part of the COVID-19 Response Operation being implemented by the Lutheran World Federation in the country with funding from Bread for the World.

With this funding from Bread for the World, the agency three months ago enrolled the 60 out-of-school vulnerable youth in Juba to learn different income-generating skills at Multiservice Training Center in Juba.

Made up of 31 females and 29 males, the youth were trained extensively in small engine repairs, carpentry and joinery, hairdressing, and tailoring.

Emmanuel Morri, a 22-year-old senior three dropout, and resident of Gudele Block 8 a suburb of Juba is one of the beneficiaries.

Dropped out in 2020, Morri says he intends to open up his workshop to help put food on the table for himself and his family.

“I was not able to make things of my own but when I joined the training, I am able to do chairs, tables, and other furniture that can help me a lot,” said Emmanuel Morri.

“So, after graduation, I will go and start making things so that it will help me and my community.”

Specializing in carpentry and joinery, Morri is among the beneficiaries who were given startup tool kits worth $480.

This includes carpentry startup, sach cramp, smoothening plain, jack plain, hand saw, bow saw, hack saw, wood glue, and timbers of different sizes among others.

Despite facing challenges to complete Senior four, Morri hopes to do better with the new skills he gained.

“The youth of South Sudan should not get disappointed in whatever life they are going through; there is time for everything,” Emmanuel Morri said.

“I have graduated and being a carpenter is not only like just making furniture. Being a carpenter, you can build, you can do roofing,

“If you are a carpenter, people will start looking for you even in some shops for making chairs, and tables.”

Given the previous experience of idleness, Emmanuel Morri is not the only person who is excited about his new skills.

Judith Iromo, a 20-year-old Gudele resident says she is willing to set up her own salon to create a job for other young people.

During the graduation in Juba on Tuesday, Iromo was given a startup tool consisting of a head dryer piece, washer piece, hand dryer piece, chemical movi, and five liters of shampoo.

Others include one liter of neutralizer, treatment steaming, 5 liters of hair conditioner, hair spray, hair food and braid black Daniella.

Iromo however says she is now able to make different types of women’s hairstyles which she thinks will help stabilize her financial conditions.

“It is not good to talk about what you want to do but it is better to implement it in action,” Judith Iromo said.

“I intend to set up a saloon to stabilize my financial situation, help myself and as well as help my family and help other youth. Roll them into my salon to work with me so that they can stabilize themselves as well.”

Youth unemployment is said to be one of the biggest social problems facing many young people in South Sudan.

An assessment conducted by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO in 2018, showed that the majority of young people in South Sudan were jobless.

UNESCO however, said due to the atmosphere of conflict and political, economic, and instability, young people lack employment opportunities.

Studies suggest that young people account for about 78 percent of the country’s population, yet they only account for 12 percent of the workforce.

This presents numerous challenges such as a reduction in the inclusion of young people in the labor market and retardation of the country’s economic growth.

The Lutheran World Federation however say they are currently training more young people in Bor of Jonglei State and Torit in Eastern Equatoria State.

Lino Akoon, the organization’s Project Coordinator for the Covid-19 response operation in South Sudan says they want to see young people contributing to positive development in the country.

“After their graduation of course as you see, we are giving them startup kits that they will use to run their businesses,”  said Lino Akoon.

“So, the whole idea and logic are to ensure that these people after they are trained, do some work that will enable them to support themselves and their family members,

“And that will also make them contribute positively towards the change that is much needed in our society in South Sudan.”

In February this year, small and medium-scale business owners called on young people to engage in business as the only way to fight poverty and dependency.

South Sudan suffers from structural unemployment, wherein youth possess skills that are not in demand.

John Henry Ali, the general Advisor for Munuki Block C Quarter council in Juba however emphasized the importance of youth empowerment in society.

As a quarter council, Henry says they are going to ensure that young people venturing into the business are supported.

“For me, I am seeing this graduation plus the skills that they have acquired, change is going to take place in our community,” John Henry said.

“We want them to implement the skills that they got, to open their places, and even we as the community within the area,

“We will support them when they come out with welding or carpentry. We will help them according to our capacity.”

Last year, the minister of information described some youth in the country as lazy.

Michael Makuei then appealed to the youth to look for private-sector jobs rather than waiting for government institutions to employ them.

He claimed that young people in the country avoid work because of laziness.

But Abraham Kenyi Isaiah, a 26-year-old Mauna resident says he is ready to venture into a small engine repair business to earn a living.

After attending the three-month training in small engine repair at Multiservice Training Center in Juba, Abraham says…..

“I am not supposed to leave opportunities that come across and something vital like this I won’t let go,” Abraham Kenyi said.

“I studied small engines, small engines that contain small generators, and some bit of auto mechanics in vehicles,

“I also do small engines [because] it has some similarities to a big engine but I was literally given the opportunity to do the small engine.”

In 2017, Kenyi completed his Undergraduate Diploma in Rural Development at the University of Juba but could not fulfill the requirements.

He is among the over 50 young people ready to venture into different businesses in the capital of Juba.

Speaking during the graduation on Tuesday, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labor Mary Hillary encouraged the graduates to utilize their skills for their welfare.

“One thing I would like to advise you is to do your work with all your heart and people will see the quality,” Mary Hillary said.

“When they see the quality, they will come to you. So, you don’t need to fear only adjust yourself that whatever you are doing, do it wholeheartedly and let there be quality in whatever you are doing,

“So, it all depends on you. The world is out there, it is you to go and venture out and prosper.”

On a similar note the Country Director of the Lutheran World federation Mika Jokivuori… says graduates of the first phase of the project are doing better.

“This is the second phase of this training program and in the first phase there were about hundred and fifty graduates and now they are employed, they are doing very well,” Mika said.

“We are hearing that feedback back to our office in Juba how well they are doing,

“I do hope that you will continue with that after graduation, you go back to the job market, you will get the job or you are self-employed,

“Please continue to report to our team how best you are doing because that makes us proud.”

Among other partners, the Lutheran World Federation with funding from Bread for the World has supported the South Sudan authorities to help graduate over 3000 young people at the Juba-based Multiservice Training Center.

The graduation ceremony was under the theme “empowering youth through vocational skills.