Kiyonza Vocational Training Project

Aim of Kiyonza project

Kiyonza is situated in a rural part of Southern Rwanda near the Burundi border. The aim of the project was to increase awareness, confidence and general life skills so that students would be better equipped to play an active role in society, support themselves and their families and use their new skills to help improve the infrastructure and skills base available in the job market.

At the time of our intervention, teachers were not being paid and students could only learn if they provided their own materials. Make a Difference 4 Africa worked with the Workforce Development Authority and the local mayor to identify what was needed to successfully develop the centre, ensure that students would gain a recognised certificate at the end of their studies and teacher salaries would be funded through local or national budgets.

Our first step was to renovate the existing buildings to make them fit for purpose and to provide tools, equipment, furniture and a small budget for the short-term running costs. We went on to provide better water facilities (there were no mains water facilities) and additional toilets. An income generation project and workers’ cooperatives were then added to the mix and finally two new classrooms and a kitchen were built.

Project impact

We successfully increased the number of places available to young people and turned a failing centre into one which the community and Make a Difference 4 Africa are justly proud.

Kiyonza vocational project:  completed 2011