Youth Protection and Participation

Results achieved as of March 2015 (the end of the project) include: (1) eight youth centers have been constructed and equipped (five in Sudan three in South Sudan) increasing access to youth centered services for about 160 000 adolescents and youth including (a) income generating activities (e.g. a “Youth Restaurant” in the youth center in Eastern Equatoria South Sudan) (b) reproductive health and HIV/AIDS counseling (c) computer training (d) social counseling and (e) recreational and sporting opportunities; (2) more than 32 000 out-of-school youth were mobilized and enrolled in Accelerated Learning Programs with gender parity reached in both Sudan and South Sudan (a significant achievement as girls’ education is not encouraged in many parts of these countries); (3) 2 430 youth graduated from vocational skills training programs in areas such as auto mechanics tailoring and agro-business with 60 percent of the beneficiaries in Sudan being young women and many of these women going on to start businesses or gain employment; (4) almost 77 000 young people participated in open air dramas social dialogues radio productions and cultural exchanges to promote youth leadership and peace building; of these 67 Youth Peace Ambassadors in South Sudan were trained to champion positive youth engagement in their communities; and (5) in South Sudan youth-led advocacy with the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports led to the development and endorsement of a Youth Development Policy and in Sudan training led to the development of strategic plans and operational guidelines for 12 youth centers and 13 youth Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). This has contributed to: (1) increased access by adolescents and youth to youth-friendly services and spaces basic education vocational skills and livelihoods opportunities; (2) enhanced capacity of young people to lead and participate in peace building and governance of youth initiatives; (3) and enhanced knowledge of targeted