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RWANDA: Youth showcase job skills

Don Bosco Muhazi Technical-Vocational School holds job fair for students

RWANDA

(MissionNewswire) Youth attending Don Bosco Muhazi Technical-Vocational School, located in the Gasabo district in the Kigali province of Rwanda, participated in a fair organized as part of “Tax Week” in the city of Kigali. Students were able to showcase their skills in tailoring, culinary, agricultural and livestock products.

The opening ceremony of the fair was presided over by the Gasabo District tax director and sector officials, including the representative of the Rwanda Defense Forces, the national police, local leaders and the community.

Jean Niyigena, from Don Bosco Muhazi’s employment services office, said, “The students’ participation in the fair opened their eyes to the world of work as they were able to listen to the views of visitors and capture their reactions.”

The school offers vocational training in masonry, culinary arts and tailoring trades. Students are guided through their coursework and then have access to an entrepreneurship program that plays a crucial role in helping students to launch their own businesses. This helps them to become self-sufficient, as well as improve the lives of their families.

Through the entrepreneurship program, youth are trained in the creation and management of a small business. They also learn how to develop psychosocial competence to lead the business. Sessions are held during an internship period after coursework is completed.

For those who don’t want to start their own business, there is a job service office. According to recent statistics, more than 90 percent of graduates have a job and are satisfied with it. To date, more than 800 poor youth have graduated from Don Bosco Muhazi.

After bravely overcoming the trauma of the 1994 genocide, Rwandans looking to transform their country have made remarkable progress. Still, much remains to be done. Close to 39 percent of Rwandans live in poverty, according to the World Bank. Rwanda is a rural, agrarian country with about 35 percent of the population engaged in subsistence agriculture with some mineral and agro-processing. Many of the country’s orphaned children are the tragic result of a violent civil war. Half of all children drop out of primary school and 2.2 million people — 22 percent of the population — face critical food shortages.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Rwanda – Students from VTC “Don Bosco Muhazi” participate in local fair to showcase their skills

Salesians of Don Bosco AGL Province

Salesians of Don Bosco AGL Province Facebook

Salesian Missions – Rwanda

UNICEF – Rwanda