Yesterday, on April 29, 2022, Vunga TVET produced 20 carpenters after training them for a period of six months in carpentry. Vunga village is located in a remote area of Ruhango District in southern province of Rwanda. In 2008, the Diocese of Shyogwe decided to establish a Vocation Training Centre in this area which, few years later, turned into a technical secondary school in order to keep empowering people, especially young ones, with hands-on skills which help them to have an improved community.
Among the graduates, one young girl said “Cultural barrier which said that no young lady could attempt hard works like carpentry and house construction is now overcome and defeated”. She further said that girls can do whatever kind of works like their brothers can do. One interesting thing to mention is that among all the graduates in carpentry, the number of females is greater than that of males and all of them produced amazing furniture like cupboards, chairs, shelves, windows, doors, desks and beds during their training. Abayisenga Dieudonne, the school Headteacher and Marcel SEBAHIRE, the head of education and youth department in EAR Shyogwe Diocese congratulated the graduates and expressed a huge thank you for the government of Rwanda for a strong partnership, through RTB/SDF, with the Anglican Church in equipping the young Rwandans with needed skills to achieve their future ambitions.
Although the graduates are done with the first step of acquiring the skills, they still have a second step to make, which is putting into practice the acquired skills so as to improve their lives. It is in this regard that the graduates’ representative asked from the community, local government, church and other partners for a help of carpentry toolkit which can help them to quickly start wish the implementation of what they learned.
The Diocese appreciates all partners who continue to join the struggle of transforming lives of many and is committed to searching all possible ways to accompany and help the graduates to achieve a better future.
By Marcel SEBAHIRE, The head of Education and Youth department in Shyogwe Diocese
