Unleash the leaders: 400 girls in South Sudan

Girls are graduating from high school. This year more than 20 of the girls that PESS supports graduated and took their national exams to demonstrate their achievement. What happens to the girls after they graduate? This presents a challenge. Most of the girls who receive scholarship and program support from PESS have high aspirations for their personal lives. They want to be doctors, lawyers, scientists, pilots and community leaders. At least two thirds of them long to go to university, and to study to achieve one of these goals. However, most have been unable to find the funds – scholarships or gifts from interested friends - to start a university program. So they wait.

Jobs are also quite scarce for anyone in Bor, let alone young girls just out of high school. PESS has been investigating ways to help our graduates start their own businesses, so these ambitious young women can use the knowledge gained in high school to earn an income. Daniel Gai, executive director of PESS, wants to start a vocational training school in Bor. When Daniel was in the US last year, PESS purchased the rights to use a curriculum, Get Hope Global, to teach entrepreneurship and basic business principles. A few of our past graduates have started their own enterprises and some of these businesswomen could help Daniel train other graduates. Daniel feels that one area of opportunity is tailoring. Cloth is obtainable in Bor, but dresses and shirts are not so easy to find. This creates an opportunity for young women who want to start a business sewing clothes. Daniel and his team are looking for other such business possibilities

Recently, Daniel discovered that a new technical training center had opened in Bor. He was asked by the operator of the training college to select six former students to enter the program with the possibility of becoming trainers in various skills that will be taught by the college. The six are doing very well and will graduate from the program June 28. Daniel’s vision is that these young women will find employment and be able to train other students coming out of the PESS program.

We also recently learned of a program operated by the UN Mission in South Sudan that is offering skills training for young people out of work. The program is teaching construction techniques, sewing and other skills useful in the budding economy of South Sudan.

It would be hard to say that the economy of South Sudan is booming, but there are slivers of hope for higher education, for business development, and for work. PESS is taking advantage of these so that girls who go to school with the educational programs we operate will have paths to success after they graduate. Many of the students report that whether they enter the workforce or become a homemaker raising a family, their lives have been transformed through the educational opportunities that PESS has offered to them. REMEMBER – we could not be doing this without you. Your contributions are making it all possible. Thanks so much!