Over 500 youths in Ngororero District, Ndaro Sector have been employed thanks to River Nyabarongo Ecosystem Rehabilitation Project.

The project is part of the Youth Ecobrigade Programme, which is increasingly creating decent employment for the youth while conserving the environment.

Under the project, efforts to conserve the environment are under various programmes including, radical terraces, progressive terraces, buffer zone protection and tree planting activities.  

In addition to this, the youth are trained in financial literacy among other skills.

Ecobrigade was initiated by the Ministry of Youth and Culture in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Local Government through Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA), the Ministry of Defence through the Reserve Force and UNDP among others.

Implemented in 10 sectors in the districts of Muhanga, Karongi and Ngororero districts, the Rwf2 billion project has created job opportunities for over 1,600 youth in the three districts.

Delphine Dushimimana, 20, lives in Ndaro sectors.

She told The New Times that: "The money I got here, for the one month I’ve so far worked for, helped me to pay back some of the debts I had and also cater for personal needs.”

Vianney Maniraguha, 24, is also employed to dig terraces. He noted that the project was timely.

"Before getting employment here, most of us were jobless. But now we have a source of money, which help us to save some and improve our standards of living,” he said.

Having started in October this year, the project is expected to last between two to three years.

Read also: Youth ministry targets 100,000 jobs in one year

While touring the project on 10 December 2019, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, Edouard Bamporiki, urged youths to dream big and avoid misconducts.

"When you get an employment opportunity like this and never have a dream of what you want to achieve in the next 5 to 10 years; you will simply waste the money you earn,” he said.

He added; "I urge you to dream big and work as hard as possible to achieve your dreams. This will prevent you from engaging in immoral behaviours like drug abuse.”

Bamporiki also advised young people to develop a savings culture.

"If you prepare nice projects of what to do at the end of this project, the government will add on what you saved so as to implement your project.”

Disaster management

Godefroid Ndayambaje, Mayor of Ngororero District, said that this project will reduce climate induced disasters in the district.

"Our district is often affected by disasters due to Nyabarongo River, which at times become dense in rainy seasons and cause landslides. This project will reduce these effects,” he said.

Given its impact, the mayor also requested that the project be expanded to other sectors of the district.

Read also: Disasters kill 70 people in nine months

According to statistics from the Ministry of Emergency Management, from January to December 6, this year, disasters have killed nine people, injured 14, and destroyed 269 houses and 294 ha of crops in Ngororero District.