By James Innocent
At least 22 members from local structures in Yei County and Lainya County have been trained in advocacy and communication, in a bid to enhance the management of natural resources and promote peaceful coexistence.
The key objective of the training was to empower selected members of local government structures to advocate for the management of natural resources and enhance the outreach and effectiveness of these efforts.
This was the second phase of the training, following the first phase conducted in June 2024, where 23 people were trained.
During the initial training, the participants developed a five-point action plan, which has since led to an increase in community voices on curbing the cutting of predominantly teak trees and bush burning, common practices in South Sudan.
Due to the sparsely scattered settlements in Yei and Lainya counties, the local administration called for an increase in the number of advocates at the Boma (village) level.
In the second phase, 20 additional members were trained, bringing the total number of trained advocates to 34 from the 60 accessible local structures.
Dara Felix, the main facilitator during the training, acknowledged the participants’ dedication, stating, “It is not easy for people to learn things that are supposed to be for three years in three days, and I applaud the participants for giving their time to attend the training so that they become agents for change in their various communities in addressing issues regarding natural resources.”
Emelia Nyosuk John, one of the participants, expressed her gratitude to the partners, including Caritas Switzerland, OFAO, and CDC, for providing the training.
She noted that she gained a wealth of knowledge on advocacy and communication regarding natural resource management, particularly in the areas of deforestation and bush burning, which have significantly impacted the environment.
The training was part of the PAMANA project, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) through Caritas Swaziland as the lead partner and implemented by OFAO and CDC in Central Equatoria state.