India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) in partnership with Oxfam, UNDP and the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare have launched the Empowering Women and Youth to Drive Sustainable Agriculture (EWYSA) Project, with support from Oxfam, UNDP and the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare. The initiative aims to equip women and youth with tools, training and opportunities to strengthen food security.
Speaking at the launch, Central Equatoria State’s Minister
of Agriculture, Environment and Forestry, Lilly Kapuki Paul, said the program
will directly benefit women and youth, “the driving force of South Sudan’s
development.
“We have already marked out over 70% women for this project
and 21% for the youth. So indeed I think we are in the right track. But what I
want to see that in the end of this project, I want to see that those who are
trained in this project to really embark with the same knowledge that they
acquired in back for agriculture production for the market,” Kapuki said.
She underlined the importance of boosting local production
so that farmers in Central Equatoria can compete with goods imported from
neighboring countries
“I want really to target the commodities in the market
coming from East African countries, especially things like the beetroots, other
cash crops that are coming from East Africa, potatoes, let us look and target
our production to the market so that it will bring value to the farmers and also
they can benefit economically,” She said
The Minister thanked the IBSA Fund a partnership between
India, Brazil, and South Africa for
supporting the initiative, and pledged the state’s cooperation with
implementing partners including the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social
Welfare, UNDP, and Oxfam
“Your Excellency, the Ambassador, the UNDP, country
representative, the implementing partner which is awesome. We’re really very
happy to partner with you this time around on this women empowerment. As
Ministry and Central Equatorial State, we will cooperate, we will coordinate
for the success of this project. And also, we look forward for more projects to
come to Central Equatorial State,” She concluded
The South African Ambassador to South Sudan, Mahlodi Sam
Muofhe underscored that the initiative goes beyond agriculture, linking it to peace
building and youth empowerment.
“Through this project we want to make our contribution to
silencing the guns in South Sudan and across our continent. We want the youth
to choose seeds over bullets, to till the land and feed their communities
instead of picking up arms,” Mahlodi said.
He also reflected on South Africa’s Women’s Month, which
this year marks the 69th anniversary of the 1956 women’s march and the 30th
anniversary of the first official National Women’s Day. He said the
commemoration highlights women’s leadership and contributions to the economy
and society values that resonate with the objectives of the South Sudan
project.
“As we commemorate Women’s Day and Women’s Month, we salute
the achievements of women over the years, including their pivotal role in
transforming the nation and contributions to socio-economic development. This
celebration is also a target call to celebrate the role of women in the economy
and empower them as well as tackle the complex barriers such as poverty,
inequality, unemployment and gender-based violence, in particular against women
and the youth,” He said
The EWYSA Project, funded by IBSA in partnership with South
Sudan’s institutions and international agencies, aims to promote food security,
empower women and youth, and drive sustainable agriculture as part of wider
peace and development efforts in the country