Imbuto Foundation held its fourth youth empowerment workshop in Karongi, Western Province over the weekend.  The workshops fall under the Foundation’s youth leadership and mentorship programmes, which are carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Sports and Culture.

The conference brought together over 130 participants from various parts of the province.

According to the Foundation’s Director General, Radegonde Ndejuru, the campaigns are intended purposely to generate ideas from the youth to accelerate their participation in the development process.

"Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. As Imbuto Foundation, we endeavour to train them to be agents of change and we believe that by the time we visit this province next June they will have implemented the resolutions that have been made in this meeting,” Ndejuru said.

Major discussants at the function included, the Minister of Sports and Culture, Joseph Habineza and Senator Aloysia Inyumba.

The minister expressed his joy for the increasing number of participants adding that Rwanda is headed for a brighter future if the youth learn to deal with their weaknesses and purpose to bring tremendous development through spearheading the country’s growth strategies.

"With continuous education, we believe that the youth will actively take up the responsibility to lead these development strategies and bring about change. Rwanda is blessed with a high percentage of young people so we are certain of a bright future,” Habineza said.

Participants like James Nduwayezu from the Fund for Support of Genocide Survivors (FARG), thanked the Foundation for the campaign, stressing that they have learnt quite a lot that will influence the way they work in his organisation.

"According to the rate at which Rwanda is developing, this campaign is exactly what we need to engage fully in the development process. It is vital to be transparent and patriotic,” he said.

The Imbuto Foundation Youth Leadership and Mentorship Programme is aimed at acting as a platform for promoting sustainable leadership opportunities for young Rwandan leaders of tomorrow, in turn, contributing to the development of Rwanda.

The Foundation is run under the Office of First Lady Jeannette Kagame.

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