Vulnerable Youth Empowerment 

Rwanda, a nation that has risen from the ashes of its tragic past, places great importance on the role of its youth in shaping the future. Recognizing the challenges faced by vulnerable young people, AJPRODHO–JIJUKIRWA, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Arts (MoYA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the European Union (EU), launched the Youth Empowerment Project in May 2024. This initiative is designed to address the pressing issues of unemployment, lack of skills, and limited opportunities for vulnerable youth, particularly in Rwanda’s Gakenke and Nyabihu districts.
The intensive one-year project aims to provide comprehensive support to 100 disadvantaged youth (81 females and 19 males), including rehabilitation center graduates, teen mothers, youth with disability and those from economically marginalized families who are facing various challenges, including those stemming from their family background, geographical location, physical or mental disabilities, and other factors. The project will concentrate on offering training, coaching, mentorship, career guidance, mental health assistance, and aiding beneficiaries in attaining self-reliance through employment and entrepreneurship. Implementation will occur in both Gakenke and Nyabihu districts.

Since its launch, the Vulnerable Youth Empowerment Project has conducted several key training sessions, each tailored to address specific needs of the participants. These sessions have been instrumental in equipping the youth with practical skills and boosting their confidence to pursue meaningful careers or entrepreneurial ventures.

Business Skills and Entrepreneurship Development
This session focused on providing participants with foundational knowledge in business creation and management. Topics covered included idea generation, business planning, financial management, and marketing strategies. Through interactive exercises and case studies, participants learned how to turn their ideas into viable business opportunities.

Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) and Financial Literacy
This session was critical in teaching participants how to manage their finances, save systematically, and access small loans through VSLAs. The training emphasized the importance of financial discipline, budgeting, and investment, helping the youth understand how to achieve financial independence.
Behavior Change, Mental Health, and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)
Recognizing the importance of holistic development, this session addressed the psychological and social challenges faced by the youth. It covered topics such as stress management, mental wellness, healthy relationships, and the rights and responsibilities related to sexual and reproductive health. The session aimed to boost positive behavior change and enhance the overall well-being of the participants.

Leadership, Communication, and Public Speaking
To prepare the youth for leadership roles in their communities, this session focused on developing communication skills, public speaking abilities, and leadership qualities. Participants engaged in role-playing, group discussions, and presentations, learning how to articulate their ideas confidently and lead by example.
The vulnerable Youth Empowerment Project has provided valuable insights into the needs and potentials of Rwanda’s vulnerable youth. Some key lessons learned include:

• Customized training sessions that address the specific needs of different youth groups such as teen mothers or those with disabilities are more effective than one-size-fits-all approaches. These tailored sessions ensure that the content is relevant and engaging for all participants.
• The involvement of local mentors has been a game-changer. These mentors, who understand the local context and challenges, provide not only technical guidance but also emotional support, making a significant difference in the participants’ lives.
• Engaging local leaders, youth centers, and community organizations has enhanced the project’s impact. Community support triggering a sense of ownership and sustainability.

Despite its successes, the Youth Empowerment Project has encountered several challenges that include; limited funding that restricted the scope of some activities, particularly those requiring ongoing support or follow-up, social barriers such as gender norms and stigma, which hinder their full participation and engagement in the training sessions.
The Youth Empowerment Project is an initiative that is making a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable youth in Rwanda. By providing them with the skills, knowledge, and support they need, the project is helping to break the cycle of poverty and unemployment, empowering young people to build brighter futures for themselves and their communities. As the project continues, the lessons learned and challenges faced will inform future efforts, ensuring that this important work can be sustained and expanded to reach even more young Rwandans in need.

Improving Livelihood for the Youth

RGB project under the youth Economic Empowerment , in Improving live hoods for the Youth, Ajprodho jijukirwa’s Overall objective of this project is to create jobs for the Youth and provide employment to others through trainings or Facilitating Youth skills advancement in their respective talents, Provision of start-up kits to Youth Beneficiaries, Facilitate the creation of Village Saving and Loan Associations and linkage of microfinance to access loan at low interest rate in Gatsibo District, Gitoki Sector.

The achievements

70Youth beneficiaries been trained depending to their talents like Baking, Welding and Saloon. 50Youth trained. Organized training sessions on effective citizen participation and engagement to the Youth facilitators/ volunteers. In Gatsibo district, Kabarore and Gitoki sector, 29 male and 21 females . Selected Youth know much about their role in citizen participation but they lack self-confidence..

All are Youth age range 16-30 years old   Beneficiaries selected deserve the trainings because are all in category 1,2 and 3 where they all have knowledge of entrepreneurship but no start- up capital.

Enhancing Workplace Learning Policy Impact (Fit4Work)

Brief Description of planned activity:

Fit4Work endeavors to enhance the effectiveness of Rwanda’s Workplace Learning Public Policy by conducting a comprehensive assessment of the policy and its associated implementation guidelines. The outcomes of this assessment will be utilized to formulate targeted recommendations, aimed at fostering desired policy reforms and enhancing the existing structures, strengthen strategic engagement with relevant policy makers and partners for adequate policy reforms and effective implementation of the WPL frameworks.

The overarching goal is to create a more conducive environment for workplace learning, thereby contributing to the overall improvement of the policy’s impact and efficacy in Rwanda.

Learning in the workplace through apprenticeships, internships and industrial attachments is generally considered as a way  still underdeveloped resource to enhance the quality of skills development, to improve the employability of graduates, and to find ways to swiftly react to changing skills’ needs in the Rwandan economy. However, the institutionalization of WPL programs is still relatively a new concept in the Rwandan education and training system; the number of workplace learning opportunities provided by companies does not meet the growing demand; capacities of companies to appropriately train, guide and supervise interns and apprentices are underdeveloped.

To bridge this gap, in 2015, the Government of Rwanda has put in place a Workplace Learning Policy to create systems, institutional structures as well as standards and regulations that ensure the full use and recognition of the country’s potential of training and learning at the workplace in order to increase the relevance and marketability of skills. The WPL policy is outdated considering that it was adopted in 2015, and has not been replaced or revised. However, the government has adopted the Workplace Learning Policy [WPL] implementation guidelines of 2021, to among other things; enhance coordination and harmonization of interventions espoused by different policies and strategies above mentioned.

The implementation of 2015 Work Place Learning Policy indicates a number of issues including but not limited to inadequate coordination and harmonization of the workplace system, interventions and systems. The current WPL guidelines provide for a framework of coordination and harmonization of interventions, however, it falls short of setting up an action plan/ Timeline of implementation and intervention targets. It’s against this background that AJPRODHO through CS-Engage Dufatanye seek to implement the Enhancing Workplace Learning Public Policy Impact (Fit4Work) Project.

Through this project, AJPRODHO seeks to appraise the basis behind inadequate access to Workplace Learning for youth including the 2015 WPL policy, as well as existing and previous WPL strategies and programs implemented by the government and contribute to Rwanda Workplace Learning Public Policy effectiveness. The project is located in Gasabo, Nyarugenge, Ngoma and Gatsibo. In the implementation of the project, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the policy and its associated implementation guidelines.

Location:

Gasabo, Nyarugenge, Ngoma and Gatsibo

Type of participants:

Youth, parliamentarians, government officials, CSOs and NGOs, Universities students and leaders.

Achievements:
We have completed the assessment and are currently in the process of finalizing the corresponding report.