Over the break between Term 2 and Term 3, Senior 5 students (third year) spent more than half of their holiday in an incredible professional skills workshop hosted at Agahozo-Shalom. This workshop is known as Akazi Kanoze Youth Livelihoods Project, and was created by Education Development Center (EDC) to provide the youth of Rwanda with the necessary knowledge to be able to successfully break into economic sectors. 

EDC trains local professionals and educators to implement this program across the country, and the ASYV was proud to have five of our staff members and three of our graduates complete the training to become Akazi Kanoze instructors. 

This national program is accessible to high school or university students, and even young professionals who were unable to finish their academics. The ten-day seminar was focused on “Work Readiness” and followed eight modules: Skill Development, Communication Skills, How to Find a Job, Leadership Training, Security & Good Health at Work, Vocational Laws in Rwanda and Abroad, and finally Doing Business, which combined the previous module lessons. 

Our students learned how to become entrepreneurs by developing unique business plans and acting out the steps necessary to open their own business, such as asking for a loan. 

This is an important learning opportunity for our Senior 5 students as they inch closer to their final year at Agahozo-Shalom, as it bridges the gap between academic education and market-relevant experience.  

Big Brother (ASYV Mentor) and Akazi Kanoze Trainer Alexandre observed, “This workshop teaches our students how to make their dreams real. A student jokes about having a car, but now she knows the steps she has to take in order to make that wish a reality.”

Submitted by Shelby Sullivan, 2015 Village Fellow