(ANS – Khartoum) – In recent days in Khartoum there has been an evaluation of the project on behalf of displaced young people “Yes - Youth Empowerment In Sudan” funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Voluntary Service for Development organisation (VIS) in support of the “St. Josephs” vocational training centre of the Salesians -  a project now with an uncertain future.

The Yes project aims to improve the living conditions of the young Sudanese who for various reasons have had to leave their own home-towns and are now living as displaced refugees at the Salesian “St. Josephs” centre which for  a number of years has been run by volunteers from VIS, providing vocational training for the young.

On Tuesday 29 February Dr. Sara Belleni Morante an advisor chosen by VIS arrived at the centre to carry out an analysis and evaluation. By means of  a long series of meetings, personal encounters and questionnaires she assessed the implementation of the aims set out in 2008 and the progress and development of the project in relation to the changes in the situation and the needs over the last four years.

The first results show that a good number of the youngsters who qualified at St. Josephs, in spite of the difficult economic and political crisis experienced in  Sudan a few months after the division of the country succeed in finding work or, alternatively, decide to continue their  studies and obtain further professional qualifications including university studies.

Nevertheless, this is a difficult time in which to continue the work. Just now responsibility is being handed over from one VIS volunteer to another, and above all the funding programme by the European Union has come to an end. In addition through factors such as inflation, the Salesian community is finding it difficult to maintain the services and the quality of teaching which made St. Joseph a model among the vocational training centres in Khartoum.

At present the free travel arrangements enjoyed by the students has been cut through lack of funds  and the hours of teaching reduced. There is an urgent need to find new sources of income for St. Josephs and some ideas have emerged from the working group which has been held recently: specialist training modules to be offered to private individuals outside school hours; increasing the productive capacity. Another idea to help the young people to start working is to provide funding through  micro-credit projects and the starting up of small businesses.

Published 14/03/2012