Tawilla, 22 July 2012 – The African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), in collaboration with the NGO Plan Sudan, launched today in Tawilla, North Darfur, a series of projects that will teach a new set of skills to the youth of areas affected by a high-level of violence while they build a facility for the community. The initiative, called Community-based Labour Intensive Projects, will implement six projects in five localities of North Darfur, Althora Shemal, Um Marahik, Lwabit, Madba and Tawilla, in the next three months.

After making an assessment of the social needs of the localities and identifying the best way to reduce youth violence, each community has chosen to engage the youth in the most useful public works.  In Tawilla, the youth will participate in skills development training for the construction of a vocational training centre and a multipurpose community centre. A similar facility will be built by youth in Althoura Shamal, located on the outskirts of El Fasher. In Um Marahik and Lwabit, the beneficiaries will be trained while constructing a secondary and primary schools for boys and girls. In Madba, the youth will learn through the construction of a community health care.

The opening ceremony in Tawilla was attended by youth selected to participate in the projects, as well as community leaders, along with UNAMID officers, Sudan Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Commission and Plan Sudan.

UNAMID DDR Head Aderemi Adekoya delivered a message to the youth, encouraging them to be part of the project from the beginning to the end and, after the training, to continue using the skills learnt in other areas of the community. “The role of everyone, leaders, youth, women, is important to help bring peace,” he said.

The Chief of the Umbdas (local leaders) in Tawilla, Adam Mohammed Mahmoud Khamis, expressed his gratitude for the project because the youth, who are mainly unemployed, will benefit from it, and because after many years trying to build a community centre, the village will have one.

Members of the local community in Tawilla during the ceremony. Photo by Sojoud Elgarrai

Community-based Labour Intensive Projects, a complementary programme of UNAMID’s DDR Section, are aimed at supporting the efforts of the Government of Sudan to address the needs of at-risk youth and other vulnerable groups in armed violence affected communities. The beneficiaries of the projects, mainly people between 18 and 35 years old, of which 25 per cent are female, will learn a variety of livelihood and life skills to improve their employability and social integration, while engaged in rebuilding their fragile communities along with other community members.

Seven Community-based Labour Intensive Projects will be also implemented in West Darfur, and five in South Darfur.