The Good News International Joy Centre, placed in Gahanga, was born in 2014 out of a desire to support and equip the young people of Rwanda. It is a vibrant and educational community, made up of a number of different initiatives and thriving on education, love and empowerment. At its heart is the Vocational Training Centre (VTC).
Pacifique is on the welding course, and without it, his life would be very different:“I was a street kid and was told about the Joy Centre by a friend. They welcomed me and started helping me. I was always on the street but today I am studying and go back to my family. Now I have some skills. Before I came here, life was very difficult. The consequences were that we stole things and got beaten then we were caught and put in prison. So I am happy I am here and I have another vision of my life. I dropped out of school in P5 and then went to the street but I will not go back there. When I was on the street my family was not happy but now they are happy.”
The aim of the Joy Centre VTC is to equip and prepare young people from diasdvantaged backgrounds with the skills they need to acquire employment and secure a hope for the future. The current courses include sewing, welding, and ICT. In the near future, they also hope to start a carpentry department. All students study the level one programme, which is taught for 6 months, including 5 months of theory and practice and 1 month of internship. Comfort International are currently supporting 30 students through the training.
Cynthia says, “I’m the 6th of 7 children. I got to know I could come to the Joy Centre. When we came here we had no skills. We learnt to make different styles of clothes- dresses, uniforms, bags. We did our practical (learning) and then the internship and have been in different companies. The dress I am wearing I made in my internship. Now our plan is to go and work and support our families.”
Noella, also in the sewing class, is the youngest of 10 children, 2 of whom have passed away. Her parents are jobless, and grow a little food to survive. She studied up to S3 but her father was handicapped and couldn’t pay school fees after that. Some of her siblings finished school, and some did not, but none of them have jobs. She says, “When I finish sewing training, I want to get a machine and develop a co-operative and get a better life.”
The computing class is very popular, with some adults also joining in to improve their skills. They study different programs, with the hope that their skills will land them a job, opening up a whole range of opportunities for them.
GNI has also supported students through the ITVET (Ihumure Technical and Vocational Education and Training) Centre. Their report from the end of 2022 tells us that this year 10 students (supported through GNI and Comfort International) have finished their studies at ITVET. They started in September 2021 and finished in July 2022. In December 2022 we spoke to all 10 students and found that they all have jobs. Some have gone back to their home villages and others are still living in Kigali but the most important thing is that they all have jobs. In future, these students will be supported through the GNI Joy Centre VTC.
There are many other functions of the GNI Joy Centre, centring around community. There is a group for the disabled of around 60 members that meet weekly for support and practical help. One member explains, “We have families with children with mental disabilities, we have parents who look after them but also others who became disabled e.g. through injury and can no longer support their families. We have a specific group of women who gave birth to mentally disabled children and their husbands abandoned them. The challenge for them is they always have to be with their children – their other children can feel abandoned and it is also difficult to go out to earn money to get food. There are many industries around here but we cannot work for them and so we struggle to get food or school fees or rent or health insurance.”
The GNI Joy Centre is a hub of community and learning, and provides a space for healing, nurturting and supporting those that need it most. We are delighted to be supporting students through the vocational training and look forward to following their progression.