Rwanda We Want(RWW) is a non-governmental organization with a youth empowerment agenda.
This agenda is derived from a strong belief that in order to ensure the continuity of Rwanda’s good leadership, today’s youth are to be taught about good leadership principles and integrate them within their ever day’s life.
This agenda is implemented with a mission of empowering the youth to become pillars of sustainable development and overseen by a vision of having a critical thinking youth with the capabilities to design and implement policies that should lead Rwanda to a sustainable peace and development.
In 2019, The following programs helped in carrying out Rwanda We Want organization agenda.
Ikiraro program
“Ikiraro” roughly translates to bridge and this program acts as a bridge between RWW club members and their dreams. In 2019, it was executed through weekly sessions and were held in Gasabo and Bugesera district, and gathered 128 secondary students; 62 from Bugesera district and 66 from Gasabo district.
Benefactors received a package of entrepreneurial, social leadership as well as sexual reproductive health.
After the official opening that took place on 9th May at Nyamata Catholique located in Bugesera district, the benefactors, through the weekly sessions
“A leader should be someone who listens to the citizen’s problems and issues… It’s also necessary as the youth to talk about sexual reproductive health, for it opens our eyes and helps us to fully comprehend our bodies’ mechanism…something that some of us don’t normally talk with our parent.” Yannick Zigama Abbas said after being asked how the weekly sessions benefited him.
Umurage program
In Kinyarwanda, “umurage” translates to legacy. This program deals with transmission of generational knowledge to upcoming generations.
In this program, seminars and conferences were conducted.
Umurage w’ubutwari seminar
This seminar was organized in celebration with the Heroes’ day (1st February) to learn more about our national heroes and see together how best we can honor their memories and how we can sustain what they fought for and strive to achieve more. It gathered 50 youth at Iriba center on 9th February 2019.
Beau Paul Burabyo, one of participant, after attending the seminar said: “This seminar was a fruitful one and the youth should learn more about our national heroes and their source of inspiration, for who doesn’t know what (s)he would die for, can’t know what to live for.”
Ndi Umunyarwanda conference
This is a conference that focuses on teaching the “Ndi umunyarwanda” concept. It aims at igniting within the youth the Rwandan spirit while teaching them the demerits of segregation and where its consequences lead this country.
This year it was conducted within 2 districts namely, Rulindo and gasabo district.
It gathered 645 youth, 320 from Gasabo district on 24th May, 325 from Rulindo district on 17th October.
“I learnt who is a Rwandan and what that identity entails. I was also reminded that I am a Rwandan regardless of our bad history, but that I can draw lessons from it to strive towards achieving a better future for my own development as well as the country’s at large,” Benjamin Kangabo said.
On another hand, “I also learnt to not dwell in the past and hope for a better future regardless of how harsh my past was. I also learnt that I have to be aware of the opportunities that are availed to all the youth, something that was not there before 1994, in order to place myself in a position to grab them,” Jeanette Niwerukundo said.
Other youthful events
As an organization that works for the youth empowerment, RWW organization celebrated the International Youth Day that was held at Kigali Public Library on 22nd August gathering 32 youth. This day’s theme was “Transforming education”, the same theme that was adopted worldwide.
Its aim was to use and challenge the youth to adopt unconventional ways of education to achieve their dreams.
Junior Rutamu, a participant said that such an event really helped him to interact closely and freely with the guests, who champions their fields, and got to learn that it’s not enough to use the formal education only.
“Like one of the guests said, you can not only use the same ways (formal education) that everyone else is using if you want to reach your dreams faster. In addition, I also learnt that there is no younger/older age to achieve your dreams.”