For many young people in South Sudan, unemployment and limited access to opportunities define everyday life. Across many communities, youth struggle to find sustainable sources of income, while young women in particular face limited access to employment and vocational opportunities. For some, the future feels uncertain after completing school or dropping out due to financial hardship.
In Yambio, the capital of Western Equatoria State in the southwest of South Sudan, near the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west and Uganda to the south-east, many young people have been changing their stories through UNESCO’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program. Known for its fertile land, agricultural activities, and vibrant markets, Yambio is approximately 450 kilometers from Juba, South Sudan’s capital.
Yambio, like many communities across the country, continues to face challenges in accessing employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities, particularly for young people and women. With support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the programme equipped over 5680 youth and women in South Sudan with practical skills that are helping them build livelihoods, support their families, and contribute to their communities.
At the Yambio Vocational Training Centre, 622 people took part in a six to eight-month training in areas such as hairdressing, carpentry and joinery, welding and metal fabrication, building and construction, and more. Beyond classroom training, beneficiaries also completed internships and received start-up support to help them apply the skills they acquired.
Today, more than two years later, the impact of the training continues to be visible across Yambio, where many graduates are running businesses, forming entrepreneurial associations, and supporting their families through their new skills.
In a busy salon in Yambio Town Market, we meet a smiling, confident Hasthy Zengwa, a 27-year-old mother of three. It is around 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, and a regular customer arrives. When asked what she likes about Hasthy’s services, the customer responds:
“She is always happy and does my hair so well. Ever since I met her, I have not gone anywhere else.”
Hasthy was among the first cohort of trainees in the programme. She explains how the training transformed her life, and how the start-up kit provided by UNESCO helped her to open her own salon. She employs three people, creating opportunities for others within her community, and wants to expand her business further.
“The training was very helpful. I acquired skills in hairdressing and, with the start-up support provided by UNESCO, I opened my salon. Today, I have trained three other people who now work with me here,” she says.
“As a single mother, this business helps me take care of my children, pay their school fees, and support myself.”
Hasthy Zengwa
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unescos-training-transforming-lives-and-shaping-futures-yambio-south-sudan?hub=701
