FYI CEO; Mr albino Gaw with Tom Coogan- Former Regional Director of the UASDF in Washington DC 2018
Mr Albino Gaw Dar, co-founded Foundation for Youth Initiative in 2011 with the purpose to create a platform that can enable young people to fully participate in the development processes of a new nation, South Sudan. Albino grew up In a village, schooled in refugee camps, studied sociology and worked for the public institutions. This exposure gives him a deep sense of curiosity and eagerness to understand the people and the world around him. This happened at first through local customs, values, and roles, later through traveling to different regions as a refugee. As of today, he is currently working as a social development specialist- advocating for building future business leader and successful bureaucrats in the country.
His inspiration to start his own NGO was born out of frustration over years, trailing back to 2005, when South Sudan became an autonomous region following the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Sudan People Liberation Movement/ Army (SPLM/A) and National Congress Party of the Sudan Government which resulted in the formation of the government of South Sudan.
Citizens from the region of South Sudan were recruited into the public sectors, particularly departments of ministries, commissions, and pastoralist bodies. In the processes of recruitment, only elders were appointed to become heads and senior civil servants of units either because of their ages, military background, or past work experience with public institutions in previous Sudan. The youth, particularly the educated youth were not recruited into a senior hierarchy or given meaningful assignments in various departments of public institutions. Despite their prowess, they were just relegated to junior positions such as clerks, junior insecure. These positions lack the meaningful scope of work that commensurate their educational qualifications. As a result, many educated young people were estranged and frustrated because their skills are being underutilized.
Albino personally worked for two public institutions of South Sudan; an assistant inspector for the Ministry of Cooperative and Rural Development in 2006; and then he joined the Public Grievances Chamber as its executive secretary- leaving both positions as his skills were not being utilized to the best of his expectations.
His concept of social development revolves around two models: private Sector Development and empowerment of youth-led and women-led enterprises: the overall purpose of his model is to create and promote self-sustaining grassroots-led small and medium enterprise that focuses on value creation, innovation, technology adaptation and learning processes designed to enable young people to contribute resolution of social problems affecting communities.
“My message to South Sudanese youth is that South Sudan is a home of diverse social groups who are intertwines by the River Nile and its tributaries and bounty natural resources including arable land, game reserves, mineral, solar energy and other strategic commodities. My understanding of availability of significantly contri8bute to the global enrichment.”- Albino Gaw Dar/ Chief Executive Officer of Foundation for Youth Initiative