A Better Future for Vulnerable Youth in the Upper Nile Region of South Sudan

The project aims to empower conflict-affected rural youth to become more economically productive and more engaged in their communities. War Child Canada is partnering with the Upper Nile Youth Development Agency to reach youth in the highly vulnerable agro-pastoralist fishing and cattle camps. Activities include (i) adapting and delivering life skills training; (ii) establishing youth centres to facilitate sports cultural and recreational activities; (iii) supporting youth groups to deliver outreach activities on issues central to youth; (iv) working with local education stakeholders and teachers to develop and deliver training in functional literacy/numeracy and accelerated learning programs; (v) raising community awareness to promote education for youth especially girls; (vi) training cilitators to design adapt and deliver livelihoods and vocational skills training; (vii) providing support to youth in identifying employment and market opportunities; and (viii) establishing and training youth livelihoods groups in business development and group savings. The project aims to provide over 5 000 youth with life skills training over 2000 youth and 5000 adults with functional literacy/numeracy education or basic primary education over 450 youth with livelihoods training while training over 80 youth and adults as teachers and facilitators.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased action taken by youth in the cattle and fishing camps to reduce violence exploitation and gender based discrimination in their communities; (2) increased education attainment for youth including functional literacy/numeracy; and (3) increased participation of youth in demand-driven rural skills training and rural markets.