LocationsCommunity Violence Reduction (CVR) Project in South Sudan Trains and Forms Five Cooperative Groups in Wau and Jur River Counties with funding from the French Government
February 12, 2024
Community Violence Reduction (CVR) Project in South Sudan Trains and Forms Five Cooperative Groups
With funding from the Government of France; the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the South Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (DDRC), and Solidarity Ministries Africa for Reconciliation and Development South Sudan(SMARD) has trained 200 beneficiaries (124 male, 76 female), including 48 ex-combatants, youth at risk and communities of return on the skills needed to run micro-business effectively such as management, negotiation, communication, technical, accounting, planning and pricing from 29th January – 10th February 2024 at the ECSS compound in Western Bahr El Ghazel.
The 200 beneficiaries who then formed five cooperative groups, garnered skills in the management of micro businesses for products such as (peanuts, Mandazi, bread, fuel and charcoal) which do not require many personnel to operate, acquired knowledge on; rules & regulations, financial systems, annual balance sheet, to be filed with government.
The cooperative groups formed are Development Cooperative Group, Salam Cooperative Group, One-heart (Adullo Aceillo) Cooperative Group, Freedom Cooperative Group and Unity Cooperative Group and each cooperative group selected 5 group coordinators, to manage the groups’ activities including registration, development of laws and the organization of the groups.
During the cooperative training the groups also generated business ideas that would support their participation such as poultry farming company, grinding machines, farming tools, Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), sewing machines, shops, welding, restaurants, revolving funds, among others and according to the beneficiaries’ testimonies, ‘’the cooperatives will support their economic empowerment and allow them to have increased income to meet their basic needs as well as the agency to plan for their future’. This according to most participants will contribute positively to reducing and mitigating community-level conflict which has faltered the peace process in the state.
Meetings held during the formation of cooperative groups
Following the training, the selected Cooperative Groups have worked to register their groups with the State Ministry of Cooperative and Rural Development. This process entails development of Cooperative Group Constitution, and possible opening of bank accounts.
SMARD has conducted a monitoring visit for each of the groups in ROC Dong Payam of Jur River Counties located 17 kilometers from Wau, Kuajena located 41 kilometers from Wau, Marial Bal located 17 kilometers from Wau, and other groups in Wau Town. UNDP, the DDR Commission, UNMISS and SMARD continue to support the groups by addressing challenges inherent in the implementation phase and adjust priorities for the CVR project to yield its intended results.
If successful, the CVR project may proffer valuable lessons to the NDDRC for replication to other states, as a disarmament tool, to complement the yet-to-start holistic DDR process in South Sudan.