On 10 December 2014, a three-month vocational training for 120 youth, women and persons with disabilities, funded by UNAMID’s Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Section, started in El Fasher, North Darfur.

The programme held at El Fasher Technical School is part of the Mission’s Community-based Labour-Intensive Projects (CLIPs) designed to address the needs of youth and other vulnerable groups at risk of being mobilized into armed movements and criminal groups due to lack of education, employment and basic life skills.

The opening session was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Education, the school headmaster, youth representatives and UNAMID officials.

Addressing the opening, UNAMID’s DDR representative Joseph Ekwale stressed on the importance of such a programme for the youth in particular. He urged them to put in all their efforts in the training adding that when they complete the programme, they will be part of a productive society. “There is no future development without the youth and there can be no development without peace,” he said.

In his remarks, the Head of the School, Adam Khalifa, explained that the objective of the programme is to enable the youth to join the labour market, build capacity and contribute to poverty reduction in the society. Mr. Khalifa thanked UNAMID DDR Section for their efforts to support the youth in Darfur.

On behalf of the youth, Saleh El Sheikh Agabaldour, emphasized the importance of skills development among youth who represent about 48 per cent of the population. He called for more collaborative efforts to empower them in the state to be able to contribute to the community.