Earning From Catering, A Graduate Tells Her Story

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

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“I was very dependant after graduating from the University of Juba but after attending the training, I can now help at home,” she said.

Having studied in Arabic, she said it was not easy for her to get a job something which made her opt for practical work.

Generally, there is a perception that working in a hotel is immoral as some people would not allow their children to work in hotels.

Unzia who attained training in catering and hospitality disapproves that perception and says though she works for SSOPO.

Getting spoiled depends on the personality and the kind of mentoring the person is nurtured with since childhood.

Despite doing her internship with many hotels, many hotels would opt to employ foreigners other than the locals. This has not been received well with Unzia who is a graduate and also trained in catering and hotel hospitality.

“They say South Sudanese do not know how to do work yet it is not true and as a result people do anything despite their qualification just for the sake of earning a living,” she narrates.

With her knowledge in catering, she now makes cakes and other cookies for SSOPO to earn a living and help her family.

She thinks employing locals will not only reduce unemployment but also allows the circulation of money in the country.

The organization was formed after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) specifically to lessen the burden on the older people headed households by providing training to the children who will in return help reduce the burden on them, a thing which has seen Unzia become a beneficiary.

Funded by the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA), the project has passed out over 100 graduates in the department of catering.

Speaking to Wani Gabriel Eric Loku, the Administrator and Training Coordinator of SSOPO, he told Gurtong that their “integrated skills training” project targets women and children so that they give them livelihood.