South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
Everything seemed to be against her when her father abandoned her in the care of an impoverished mother, but Mary Meling rose above the odds in seeking a livelihood in the tough capital of South Sudan, Juba.
Helped along by the ZOE Empowers, a local non-profit organization, Meling, just 17 years old, now has a flourishing tea business that provides her with income every day.
The organization works to empower disadvantaged children including those orphaned, providing them training in business skills and providing them capital in order to be self-reliant.
Meling dropped out of school in 2020 after her single mother failed to meet the education cost. She has been provided a business grant of 100 U.S. dollars by ZOE Empowers to start her small tea business following a one-month training with the organization.
She was able to set up the business in Salam Market in Jondoru suburb of Juba where she also sells fish.
Meling earns 30,000 SSP daily from her tea business and another 25,000 SSP from the fish business.
“Now I can buy my own soap and treat myself when I get sick. I no longer depend on my mother,” she told The Dawn in an interview.
“I have a brother that I am catering for his needs such as buying him shoes, and clothes, soaps and school materials such as books and others.”
Before her empowerment, Meling was doing odd jobs like fetching water for people and selling bananas and chapatti, earning her meagre pay.
Growing up in poverty never deterred her but provide her the sheer will to overcome the situation in a country where people are struggling to rebuild livelihoods which were particularly destroyed over decades of conflict.
The conflict in South Sudan which began in 2013 has seen a lull in fighting and insecurity since 2018 with a peace implementation undergoing in South Sudan. The implementation provided for a conducive atmosphere that everyone could use, including disadvantaged children like Meling, to try and curve out a livelihood.
China is a country that was once impoverished but over the past four decades, has achieved remarkable economic growth, lifting millions out of poverty and meeting major international development goals, contributing significantly to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The resolve was the relationship geared towards work for development through domestic production, economic activities and savings as explained in the way it built up developing a complete local production unit.
That is what Meling is becoming, a complete local producer with her tea making and fish mongering.
“I was trained on business skills especially on how to handle customers. This training has changed my life. Now I owned a tea place where I also sell fish and other vegetables,” she said.
ZOE Empowers has so far provided life skills to hundreds of people, including orphans.
Issa Ali Taban, a 19 year old who grew up from Juba Orphanage has also developed his own business after learning skills from ZOE Empowers.
According to him, the same organization provided him with a startup capital.
“Before the organization came to help us, life was very hard for us. We hardly fed but with their support I am able to set up small business,” Taban told The Dawn.
He has a vibrant shop which sells commodities including biscuits, cooking oil and sugar among others. Taban is able to put his two sisters in school from profits he earns from the shop.
“They empowered me with business skills, and grant amounting to 100 U.S. dollars to run my businesses,” he said.
“With this business, I am able to sustain my family. We can get something to eat, drink and cater for other needs.”
The two are examples of many South Sudanese who are rising up to challenge setbacks and develop themselves. Hundreds of thousands of such untold stories are all over the country as people embrace the rebuilding of their own livelihoods.
Lilija Noel Lasu, Country Manager of ZOE Empowers said they have empowered more than 250 orphans and other vulnerable children in the community with business skills, tailoring, motorcycle repair and hair dressing to make their lives better.
“We select one of them, and we empower them by giving the person business skills, depending on their choice, and also a business grant for those that are interested in starting up businesses or are already running businesses,” Lasu said.
He said houses are also set up by the organization, for homeless orphans, renovating for others and sponsoring many in school.
“What we really want to achieve is to reduce the poverty and unemployment and crime rate among their people, and to reclaim back the dignity that is lost from these children,” Lasu said.
