Over 50 youth representatives from various parts of the country, yesterday, completed one-week training on trainers’ course in human rights and democracy.

The youth who are mainly district representatives of the Rwanda National Youth Council (RNYC) and members of youth associations from 10 districts were trained by a local NGO, Never Again Rwanda (NAR).

Addressing reporters at the end of the training, the executive director of Never Again Rwanda, Joseph Nkurunziza, said that the trained youth will in turn be facilitated to train over 150 youth in their respective districts.

" Rwanda is a country that has gone through turbulent times especially the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. For this not to happen again, we need to equip the youth with knowledge and skills because they are the leaders of tomorrow,” Nkurunziza said.

"We need to have future leaders who know what human rights and good governance are if we are to have a peaceful, united country—a country with democracy. It is this critical thinking that we equipped the youth with.”

Nkurunziza noted that Genocidal regime, misguided the youth, fed them with wrong propaganda, eventually leading them into committing the genocide.

He noted that Never Again targeted the youth because according to a recent survey done by the National Institute of Statistics, the youth form 67 percent of the population, hence forming the core of the country and the need for empowerment.

The training covered among other things, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Human Rights Charter, children and genders rights, freedoms of expression and participation.

Patrick Ndayisaba, the RNYC representative in Rwamagana said that after the training, he is able to know that where one’s rights end, is where the other person’s rights begin.

"I was able to know what my rights are and what democracy is and the most important thing is that I will share this knowledge with others. I fully understand my role in the development of my country and I can say I gained a lot over the past one week,” he said

"We, the youth, know we are the engine of our nation and promoting human rights and democracy is our duty. We cannot leave this to our leaders alone,” said Chantal Mucyo Karerangabo from Kigali’s Gasabo District.”

Never Again Rwanda (NAR) is a youth-based human rights and peace-building organisation founded by three university students in 2002. It received legal status as a Rwandan non-governmental organisation in 2008.

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