Youth Learn New Skills to Earn Income, Become Self-Sufficient in Juba

By Awan Achiek

Young people in Juba are gaining valuable hands-on skills training, enabling them to create jobs and transform their lives.

Kenyi Emmanuel, 19, operates a repair shop in Jondoru where he fixes motorbikes, effectively using his skills to earn a living.

In September 2024, Kenyi enrolled in a three-month mechanics training course with Zoe Empowers, a local organisation that provides economic empowerment support to underprivileged children.

Kenyi stated that the skills he gained from the training helped him become self-reliant.

“I am so grateful because before I joined, I knew nothing about mechanics, but through the training, I learned a lot,” Kenyi told the Dawn in an exclusive interview.

He explained that he learned how to repair motorcycles inside and out.

“Right now, I am one of the people that customers seek out to solve their motorcycle issues.”

With the skills he acquired, he was hired by Zoe Empowers to train a new group, earning 100 U.S. dollars in addition to his income from motorbike repairs.

“Currently, with the skills I have gained and the work I am doing, I can earn what I need each day.”

He earns between SSP 30,000 and 40,000 daily from motorbike repairs when business is good, but on slower days, he may only make SSP 20,000.

“When I earn 20,000 SSP in a day, I ensure that I save 10,000 in my savings box and use the remaining 10,000 SSP for food and transport,” he said.

Since starting work a few months ago, Kenyi has already saved 1.2 million SSP in his bank account.

“If I save enough money, I hope to complete my higher education. The money I’m saving now may help secure my future.”

He plans to use his savings to continue his secondary

education after dropping out in senior three in Uganda in 2022 due to financial constraints.

He advises young people across the country to embrace entrepreneurship rather than idling away or playing cards.

“My advice to them is to recognise their worth. They should understand that they are capable of achieving their goals.”

Like Kenyi, Funga Rose is another young person in Juba who has benefited from skills training.

Funga Rose, a 22-year-old resident of Jondoru, completed a three-month training course in liquid and bar soap production with Zoe Empowers.

“When I was introduced to making liquid soap, many of us participated in the training. However, I am currently the only one running a business,” Rose said.

Unlike Kenyi, Rose began her training with design and tailoring in March 2024 before enrolling in the liquid and bar soap course.

“Making liquid soap is a fantastic idea I learned from Zoe Empowers. They are truly kind-hearted people.”

She supplies various clients with locally made liquid

soap, earning 70,000 SSP per jerrycan, 2,500 SSP for a small bottle, and 6,000 SSP for a large bottle.

With her earnings, she has been able to buy clothes, pay her siblings’ school fees, and support her household in Uganda.

“This business has helped me in many ways. Firstly, I can buy anything I truly want,” she said.

“I support them in paying their school fees, and I am saving 35,000 SSP per week.”

She expressed gratitude to Zoe Empowers for imparting skills and knowledge that have transformed her life and her family’s situation.

Funga aspires to open a soap manufacturing business in Juba, producing quality liquid, bar, and bathing

soaps, and is willing to train others who wish to learn these skills.

Zoe Empowers aims to empower disadvantaged children, including orphans, by providing business skills training and capital to help them become self-sufficient.

Lilija Noel Lasu, country manager of Zoe Empowers, stated that they are empowering 27 groups with training in business skills, tailoring, mechanics, salons, and more to improve their livelihoods.

“When we provide these trainings, upon graduation, we offer them start-up capital for their businesses,” Noel explained.

He noted that they have equipped hundreds of young people with life-saving skills, enabling them to become self-sufficient.

“We do not want these youths and children to become beggars on the streets or engage in unlawful activities such as forming gangs, stealing, robbing, and creating insecurity in the community.”

He called upon the government, UN agencies, and partners to assist with equipment such as computers to facilitate training for more young people.

“We lack computers. We have public space provided by the community. We want to offer more training in areas like carpentry, AC maintenance, and electrical training.”

Skills training among the youth has proven effective in improving their lives in the country.

Such initiatives lay a foundation for young people to support themselves, generate income, and care for their households, thereby enhancing their quality of life.