Star Trust Organization graduates 400 women in Yambio
By Mangisto Zama
The Star Trust Organization, funded by UNDP, has graduated 400 women at Yambio Multipurpose Vocational Center, a three months training that started in January but the graduation was delayed because of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Speaking during the graduation, the Director of the Vocation Justin Omar Kirima told the gathering that the women had undergone three months training and had acquired skills in tailoring, Salon, catering, decoration, juice making, designing with zigzag machine and pottery.
Some of the women trainees’ products were displayed during the occasion. Most of the graduates walked away with different types of machines, individually and in groups, with some 50$ to start their businesses. Their tutors for the three months were Ugandans and South Sudanese.
The graduating women expressed commitment to starting their own businesses after the raining in order to be able to take care of their children and relatives.
This is the first time Yambio Multipurpose Vocation Center has graduated such a big number of women and handover to them different machines and utensils for starting their own businesses.
According to the UNDP representative in the graduation ceremony, the organization would continue to support women and youth in Western Equatoria State to acquire different skills and be self-reliant or create jobs for themselves.
She said all these efforts were aimed at building peace and resilience among South Sudanese, in order to heal the wounds and trauma after the conflict.
However, the beneficiaries were warned not to sell those machines because the government was going to create mechanisms through the chiefs to monitor the beneficiaries.
The support has boosted the moral of the women the effect of which could be seen on the smiling faces of the graduates.
Women have carried the burden of the conflict in the struggling with orphaned children and crippled families due to meagre income of employees.