Some people say criminals are born and crime simply flows in their blood but I now realise criminals are made. From suicide bombers, high school gun toting killers, the subway gas killers, the McVeighs of this world, the limb-chopping teenagers in Liberia and Sierra Leone, the Hutu teenage killers in Rwanda, the Somali khati-crazed killers and all the other lone or group criminals are made by what other people say and do.

I think some people are deliberately on a campaign to make me a criminal and a heartless one at that. The way jobs are allocated in Rwandan NGO’s has drained me of any humanity leaving me a "mere biological being” prepared for anything.

Never mind the embroidery and design of job adverts and catchy phrases like ‘equal opportunity employer’ the religious based organizations are the most unequal employers in this tiny republic. Name any of these NGO and I will tell you the people qualified to get jobs there.

Before anyone gets ideas about my intentions I must admit that as the most experienced unemployed person and possibly the person who has made the biggest number of job applications,  the good country directors possibly busy themselves with more important duties and leave recruitment to all powerful "resource humane” and "DAFs " to play Gods on miserable mortals like me.

In one case, someone told me not to bother applying because the person who would get the job was already identified before it was advertised. I did not believe him and when the job offer was finally made he rang to say, I told you”.

Now if I may ask, why make poor souls spend the little they have on applications and interview process in a scheme to hoodwink one’s bosses? In a bid to pay back these people I could happily do anything.

The Government sector is the most frustrating one. Their ways are, advertise in the IMVAHO Newspaper, get applications and after six months put a list of names for interviews on the notice board somewhere within the premises and one month later, the position is filled.

Transparency that you can see, isn’t it? "We short listed your name and you did not turn up for the interview”.

You either walk/travel to the offices of that ministry/institution for six months or you know someone who works there to notify you when the list is pinned on the notice board or else you are to blame for failure to turn up for the interview.

For an unemployed person travel is a painful undertaking and cannot be sustained much longer and finally one gives up.

I have heard people say an idle mind is the devil’s workshop; there is only half-truth in that because an idle mind that has eaten will go sleep.

An idle mind that is hungry and angry is truly the devil’s workshop and a powder keg waiting to explode. Bring an idea that can fix a problem or channel the anger in whatever venture to an idle mind and you have a follower for good or worse.

I believe there is need for intervention and census to ascertain the number of the unemployed in the country and the skills and training fields of these people to allow human resources planning at the national level.

These resources can be retrained or given short courses so they can fit into the national employment strategy and curricula can be developed with emphasis placed on particular areas of training.

There are labour unions and there should be associations/unions of the unemployed so they can share experiences and support each other. The biggest challenge unemployment poses is psychological!

As an alternative, the government should offer education that allows creating their own jobs creation.

Contact: ekaba2000@yahoo.com