Over 90 PLWD graduate from TVET

Sokorwa Technical School in Kigali City’s Gikondo area in Kicukiro District has certified 97 people with disabilities after they completed various vocational training courses, among them carpentry, tailoring baskets weaving and hair dressing.The training that ranged from three to six months was supported by the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) in partnership with the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD).NCPD’s Executive Secretary, Emmanuel Ndayisaba, said that there was need to create jobs among the disabled to improve their competitiveness on the job market.“The skills acquired will contribute to their ability to be self-reliant and also take active part in the country’s development,” he said.He advised the graduates to use skills they have acquired to be the stepping stone to improve on their socio-economic wellbeing. “We need positive outcomes from the skills and knowledge you have gained not only to prove that people with disabilities are able but also as a way to contribute to the development of the country,” he said.The Coordinator of RDRC, Francis Musoni, said that PLWD need to join cooperatives to be able to pool resources together and easily access support from various partners.“The training will help them overcome unemployment which has been rampant among all them,” he said.Sylvain Ndagijimana, one of the graduates, said: “before attending this course I had it in mind that begging was all I could do in life due to my disability.I had grown to accept this, but now after this tailoring course I know I can do many things. I’m now ready to change the history of my life by abandoning begging and becoming a famous tailor,” he said.Ndagijimana and colleagues were given toolkits as start-up capital to begin practicing what they learnt.Eugene Kabanda, a disabled ex-combatant who was given a sewing machine, was grateful for the gesture.“On my own I could never afford to buy this machine. I will forever be grateful. I’m now returning home ready to start generating money from tailoring to improve my standards of living and change my family’s life for the better,” he said.