URUGWIRO VILLAGE - Youth under the East African Youth Organization (EACYO), have said they have learnt a lot from Rwanda’s reconciliation journey, and pledged to promote unity and development in the region.

The youth made the pledge, after meeting President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro, yesterday.

Alida Mugisha from Burundi said that the way Rwandans have reconciled after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is a lesson the youth in the region ought to take to develop their countries.

"We went around and saw what happened here during the Genocide, but what touched us most, is the way people have managed to reconcile after the tragic events,” Mugisha said.

She noted that if the youth unite as one and look beyond ethnicity and divisionism, they can similarly build their communities, like it is happening in Rwanda.

EACYO president, Mrisho Gambo, from Tanzania, said that they are going to take the lessons they have learnt to their respective countries.

"We will spread the message about what happened in Rwanda to all the youth so that it does not happen elsewhere. We will also spread the lessons we have learnt to stir development in our region,” he said.

Mrisho added that President Kagame promised to support EACYO in its endeavours to set up a permanent secretariat in Arusha, Tanzania.

"We have been working in someone’s office, but the President accepted to support us to establish our own office,” he said,

"We approached him because we know that he loves the youth, and fortunately, he granted us the support.”

The Minister of Youth, Protais Mitali, said that the President urged the youth to begin nurturing the right mindset at a young age.

"He told them that the youth are the energy of our countries and that all the changes we want to see in these countries can be championed by them,” Mitali said, adding that President Kagame went on to advise them to capitalise on the good leadership in their countries to begin the journey to development.

The youth delegation of 80, including 15 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will participate in a number of other commemoration activities during their stay.

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