Foundation for Youth Initiative (FYI) is an entrepreneurial support organization founded in South Sudan in 2011 to empower youth-led enterprises, women’s business ventures, and farmer cooperative organizations. FYI provides entrepreneurial and leadership opportunities along with various resources, tools, networking, innovation, and creativity essential for SMEs to establish assets, create jobs, generate income, and foster sustainable livelihood systems. With a strong connection to local communities, FYI is well positioned to support SMEs confronting pressing social challenges, including poverty, unemployment, and systemic gender inequalities.

FYI works with people of goodwill, development partners, foundations, government agencies, family offices, and non-governmental organizations to support entrepreneurial initiatives that support youth, women, farmers, and other social groups to establish social enterprises designed to create jobs, generate income, build assets, and develop sustainable livelihood systems.

FYI provides technical assistance, including innovative skills, managerial capabilities, and various services designed to empower youth, women, and farmers to generate income, build assets, and create sustainable livelihood systems. These services are crucial for helping them overcome obstacles to achieving sustainable growth and fostering a more inclusive economy and prosperity.

FYI mentors youth aged 18 to 35, equipping them with job-ready skills and a creative mindset to generate new ideas to solve some of their pressing social problems such as unemployment. By fostering creativity and practical skills, the hub nurtures a generation of problem solvers who contribute positively to South Sudan’s socioeconomic development.

FYI provides research services to study pressing issues affecting youth, women, farmers, and other vulnerable groups. This program aims to deliver evidence-based information for effective intervention. It also produces refined policy briefs and notes to guide development partners while striving to address pressing policy issues in the local community.

The Media, Communications, and Public Relations department manages social media platforms and public relations, highlighting the Foundation’s important work in East Africa. It also cultivates a community of practice that raises public awareness of pressing issues like peacebuilding, socioeconomic gender equity, climate change literacy, and climate resilience and adaptation.