SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda hosts youth advocacy, entrepreneurship and leadership training for 120 youth from 26 countries of East and Southern Africa ESAF Region.

Addressing the youth from #ESAF Region, The Hon. Minister of youth Ms. Rosemary Mbabazi argued them to be the catalyst of positive change basing on SOS Children’s Villages quality care. “You are the heroes of Africa; you are the seeds that will give shelter to Africa.” Hon. Minister Mbabazi added.The Minister advised them to be at the forefront to initiate the change they want and stop accusing their leaders of not delivering.

“The transformation you want to happen in your country starts with that small impact you can create with your small effort not the actions of the politicians or leaders of your community. You were very brilliant in class and you have all SOS Children’s Villages quality care but you left your community with all the problems, what will people remember for you? Try to put into practice what they are going to teach you” she added.

SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda National Director Liberal Seburikoko said that the main purpose of this training is to prepare youth for their future and to encourage them to have open minded in order to save their community. “SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda is working to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of children and young people. This training is to enhance them to fulfil their future.” He noted.

Daniel E. Ihansekhein, Regional Programme Development Advisor, SOS Children’s Village International Office, Eastern and Southern Africa, said the training was aimed at imparting skills which are relevant in the digital age. “In this training, we want to make these young ambassadors the leaders of today by empowering them with the kind of skills that are much needed to transform and create an impact in their communities,” he said.

Ihansekhein added that they chose Rwanda because of the achievements it has registered in transforming the lives of its own people and the strides made in technology. “Rwanda has had a very tremendous journey of inclusive transformation and its one of the countries that have embraced and understood what impact technology can have its own people. So that’s why we chose it for this training,” he revealed.

This training is a follow-up to the first ESAF youth Entrepreneurial and Leadership Training that took place in Johannesburg from 5th-16th November, 2018. 52 young people from 16 countries participated in the two weeks’ training.

Participants in the first training were equipped with entrepreneurship skills and leadership ideals to assert themselves as the process owners of their development and self-actualization. They are now ready to create jobs for themselves and other young people in their communities as well take leadership positions in their communities.