Sudanese Young People Who Were Supported by TİKA in Overcoming Drug Addiction Have Entered a Profession

In the East African country of Sudan, Sudanese young people who were supported by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) in overcoming drug addiction and provided with materials started their own businesses.

As part of the “Project for Helping Young People Living on the Street in Khartoum to Enter a Profession,” TİKA provided welding machines, electrical and plumbing equipment, tire repair supplies, and barbering supplies to 105 young people who had largely overcome their drug addiction and been given vocational training by the local Bit Makali Association, on October 25, 2020.

Thanks to the project, some young people started their own businesses, while others had the opportunity to specialize in their fields at partner enterprises.

“We have implemented an international project thanks to TİKA’s efforts.”

In his statement, Lubna Ali Muhammed Abdurrahman, Founder and Chairman of the Bit Makali Association, said that he was very happy to announce the results of the joint project that they had implemented with TİKA. He said, “We have been carrying out various activities to combat addiction and help homeless people for many years; however, we could not implement any project focusing on production. With this international project, which we have implemented thanks to TİKA’s efforts, we have provided treatment, accommodation, rehabilitation, and employment. In the next phase of the project, we want to help these young people to get married. We hope we will take our cooperation with TİKA to the next level in our next project, which will be implemented for girls. We are grateful to TİKA for its support.”

“I have become a blacksmith, and now I run my own business.”

As part of the project, young people were provided with professional equipment in order to help them hold on to life, integrate them into the society, and encourage them to engage in economic activities. Abdulmuhsin Babekir Abdullah Musa, a barber who benefited from the project, said, “I was a drug addict. I did not have any dreams about my life or myself. They convinced me that I could turn my life around. Now, I am truly happy because I have a job to make a living.” Noting that they learned how to stand on their own two feet thanks to the project, Musa said, “Everyone should have a profession. It is the only weapon you have in life. TİKA and the Bit Makali Association have implemented an invaluable project. I was interested in becoming a barber and had the necessary skills. Thanks to the supplies provided by TİKA, I have become a barber. May Allah give strength to TİKA, which supports young people.”

Blacksmith Hasan Abdullah Erbab Ishak, another beneficiary, said, “We were addicted to drugs. We lived on the street and away from the society. TİKA and the Bit Makali Association met all our needs and changed our lives. We benefited greatly from the project. Thanks to their support, I have become a blacksmith. Now, I run my own business.”

Welder Mecdi Abdussadık stated that the project helped them overcome difficult times, and thanked those who contributed to the project.