Whitaker peace and development initiative have trained over 300 South Sudanese youths in leadership, peace and development.
Bush Buse, the coordinator for the agency told journalists on Saturday at Central Equatoria Teachers’ Training Center during the graduation ceremony of the beneficiaries that they organized the training to encourage young people to be agents of peace and development.
“We are encouraging young people to be leaders of peace and development, if we want to change the narrative in south Sudan, we have to work with young people,” he said.
Bush told the beneficiaries composed of 135 and 185 female and male respectively that they are the future leaders of the country.
He added that in a country like South Sudan where over 70% of the country’s population are young people, the young people can be empowered to become agents of peace and development.
One of the beneficiaries Suzan Keji, exerted that the skills that she acquired from the training will empower her to promote peace and tranquility in South Sudan where stability has been elusive due to a number of issues including armed conflict.
“With such peace building skills from the training, we can create and maintain peace, leaders of peace do not just watch but work to discourage conflict, violence and violation of human rights,” she detailed.
Keji committed that she is going to make change in her community and the whole country will bend towards peace with the new skills she gained from Whitaker’s training.
Meanwhile, Richard Hoffman, the country manager for Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative said that the country needs to invest in peace building, noting that the organization is ready to support community dialogue.
“We do support service of community dialogue, I take this training as one of the best ways to spend money in south Sudan, investing on young men and women who are motivated to talk with the community and help resolve conflict peacefully is the real deal,” said Hoffman.
Michael Lado Thomas Allah-Jabu, the mayor of Juba city council said that education is key in bringing peace to the country because young people need capacity building to be able to contribute to the development process.
“You need to have peace and responsibility but above all education, training is needed to be able to acquire skills and make contribution to development of south Sudan, you need to be peace ambassadors, we need better future for our children,” said Allah-Jabu.
