Jean Pierre Harelimana had almost given up on any hope of getting a decent job or starting a small enterprise. The young man was among the hundreds of unemployed youth in the Southern Province district of Gisagara. However, all his fears and frustration have since given way to big dreams and a better standard of living, thanks to the job-creation centre that was established in the district about two years ago. The Agakiriro Village in Gisagara’s Rwanza cell in Save sector trains youth in practical skills, carpentry, handicrafts, and plumbing, among others.

Harelimana says the skills gained at the centre have helped him to earn sustainable income that has improved his livelihood. He is among the 640 youth that have benefitted from the job-creation centre so far.

Jean Marie Vianney Ndagijimana, a carpenter says he has acquired enough expertise in woodworks to make furniture since he started working at Agakiriro a year ago. Ndagijimana, who earns Rwf75,000 per month, says his target is to save about Rwf2 million this year to start his own business. Ndagijimana adds that the centre has helped the youth in the area to keep away from drugs, saying some of the jobless young people had become a nuisance in the community. "Agakiriro is central to our lives. There is no more joblessness and drug abuse in our community as we spend most of our time at work. And it is not just about what we earn, our work defines us,” he says. Aime Uwamariya, 26, says most entrepreneurs and artisans in Gisagara and the neighbouring districts acquired their skills through on-job training and learning at the centre and went on to start-up their ventures.

"Eight months ago, I was living as a destitute on the streets... I couldn’t even afford a meal. It was not until I joined Agakiriro that I started living a meaningful life,” says Uwamariya.

He says the skills gained have helped young people to create jobs for themselves and other youth, which has "provided us a stable source of income”. The former casual worker says he now makes different types of handicrafts, earning about Rwf60,000 per month.

Challenges

The youth say the main challenge is lack of capital to start-up income-generating ventures, adding that financial institutions are reluctant to fund start-ups.

What the district authorities say

According Dieudonne Twagirayezu, the director for youth, sports and culture in Gisagara, the vocational development and youth empowerment programme is an opportunity for young Rwandans to work toward self-reliance.

He urges Gisagara youth to take advantage of the centre to improve their skills and contribute to district and national development efforts.

Gisagara District mayor Jerome Rutaburingoga says the initiative will help fast-track the local development.

Statistics from the district show that about 71.3 per cent of district’s youth are employed, while 2.2 per cent are unemployed. The youth make up 76 per cent of Gisagara’s population.