When the Government opened Iwawa Rehabilitation and Vocational Skills Development Centre (IRVSDC) to impart life skills to street children, some sections of the Foreign media attempted to tarnish the image of the otherwise noble initiative, calling it a prison among other names.

The smear campaign did not distract the project, instead, the Government continued to upgrade the training centre, equipping it with modern training infrastructure and personnel to effectivelly teach vocational skills in various fields including construction, carpentry, tailoring and commercial farming.

A year later, the youth have graduated and are now an empowered lot added to the country’s workforce

Their families are celebrating, seeing their once hopeless children, finding an avenue to a better and constructive life.

The future, indeed, looks bright for these youths who, only yesterday, as street children, were a threat to security particularly in the urban areas where they roamed aimlessly.

The Government has put in place mechanisms to ensure that they get employed and access credit to start up incoming generating activities, now that they have the skills.

And, various industries and companies have promised to employ the Iwawa graduates.

Their story is a perfect example of how home grown solutions have effectively influenced change and helped improve the lives of the Rwanda people.

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