Active Citizen South Sudan, a youth-led organization is helping women and girls in Gumbo-Shirikat, a suburb of Juba city to gain skills and ideas to generate incomes for their livelihoods and survival.
The organization believes that empowering young women and girls was essential towards improving the livelihoods and economic well-being of the communities.
Speaking during the two-days training at the site, Gai Makiew Gai, the project officer for the organization said it was high time for the target groups to gain income generating techniques in order to contribute to family support and boost their business capacities.
“Above all, we want to contribute towards nation-building. The training aims to empower women and girls to be equally contributors to house incomes so that they (women) are respected in the community as well as having their voices heard by their male counterparts,” he explained in an opening remark.
According to the project officer, the skills were crucial to secure women’s income generation by promoting and enabling a macroeconomic framework that facilitates decent employment and business sustainability.
“So, it helps women to improve their business skills which in return make them support their families in various ways. These include contributing to children’s nutrition, paying school fees and medication,” he stressed.
Combating Gender-based Violent (GBV) through income generating activities as part of empowering women has been found as one of the excellent methods of eradicating both poverty and Gender-based Violent (GBV) in the community, according to the reports.
Gai said the youth organization had to adopt the approach to empower women and girls to participate in the decision-making process at various levels of governance as well as in the business matters.
To the activist, the initiative enhances the effectiveness, hence eliminates redundancy and vulnerability.
Throughout the training, at least 31 women and girls were trained and given all necessary skills needed to successfully manage their small-scale business and compete in the market.
He called on the trainees to develop unique skills and use the opportunity to help the communities.
The event was sponsored by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Juba.
Rebecca Ayak, one of the participants’ said the opportunity was going to help them and increase their business earnings. “I used to have a struggling business because I do not have skills. Now that I am capacitated, I hope to improve my status,” she narrated.
According to the young woman, the skills will boost her business to improve her about livelihoods
“The life will not be the same again. These are the skills I have been longing to get,” she asserted.
Most of the participants applauded the modal and urged the youth organization with her supporting partners to further the initiative.
“We want these skills more than before. So, we urge the partners to invest in community development and we will realize complete stability. Either in terms of skills or in livelihoods perspectives,” said Amer Deng, another participant.
