USAID Begins Distribution of $720,000 Worth of Equipment to Grass-Roots Youth Groups in South Sudan

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a program to distribute materials and equipment worth $720,000 to 70 youth-led organizations in South Sudan. 

This initiative, known as the Youth Empowerment Activity, aims to strengthen the capacity of these organizations to provide training in basic education, livelihood, and entrepreneurship skills.

The distribution began in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, where 17 youth groups based in Wau and Jur River Counties are partnered with the Education Development Center (EDC). Each organization received in-kind support to enhance their ability to deliver efficient training and support the youth of South Sudan in the long term.

USAID’s Youth Empowerment Activity has been working with youth groups and volunteer trainers since 2022 to improve access to foundational learning and skills for South Sudanese between the ages of 15 and 29. Over a four-year period, the program aims to reach 25,000 individuals, helping them lead healthier, more productive lives and contribute to the development of their communities.

In addition to ongoing training and teaching materials, each youth-serving organization received a kit consisting of 376 items. These items will support community mobilization, manage training centers and classes, and facilitate community service activities initiated by the youth. The equipment includes chairs, tables, solar panels, bicycles, a laptop, a PA system, a projector, water tanks, wheelbarrows, and rain gear for facilitators and trainers.

Patrick Egan, Chief of Party of the Youth Empowerment Activity, emphasized the importance of these items in equipping volunteer trainers and enabling organizations to function efficiently. 

“These items should be used to ensure that volunteer youth trainers are properly equipped and to help youth-led and youth-serving organizations function as an efficient community-based organization that will be able to support the Youth Empowerment Activity’s learning activities at the Payam levels,” He stated. 

Seventeen youth organizations will benefit from these grants, including People with Disability Society, Save Children, Orphans and Disable’s Organization, Kpaile Youth Group, Youth United Development Organization, Algadrin Youth Association, Peace Friends Community for Development, Women Training and Promotion, Western Bahr-el Ghazal State Youth Union, Agriculture Youth Action for Development Agency, Dalmas Child Development Initiative, Alur Youth Union, Kuajiena Community Development Program, Wadhalelo Payam Youth Association, Community Assistance for Development and Relief Initiative, Marial Bai Youth Union, Tharkueng Bukmat Village Savings and Loans Association (TBVSLA), and Community Aid for Children and People with Disabilities Organization.

The Youth Empowerment Activity, which spans four years, aims to improve literacy and numeracy skills, expand livelihood opportunities, promote positive behavior change, and enhance social cohesion. The project is implemented in various regions of South Sudan, including Kapoeta North and Budi (Eastern Equatoria), Akobo, Uror, and Duk (Jonglei), Leer, Mayendit, and Panyijiar (Unity), Ulang and Baliet (Upper Nile), Wau and Jur River (Western Bahr el Ghazal), and Juba (Central Equatoria).