BK Foundation, in partnership with DUHAMIC-ADRI, is supporting 40 young people from Muhanga District who are graduating from a seven-month vocational training programme in TVET, providing them with startup toolkits worth Rwf 600,000 each to help them launch small businesses. The initiative, implemented through the Igire programme, enabled the graduates—21 women and 19 men—to gain practical skills in tailoring, mechanics, leatherwork, construction, welding, and beauty care. Alongside their certificates, the toolkits are expected to help them transform their knowledge into income-generating opportunities. During the graduation ceremony on August 22, 2025, Pascal Nkurunziza, Programme Manager at BK Foundation, urged the graduates to make the most of their skills and equipment. “The first thing we ask is that they put their knowledge to good use. Although we assisted, support has its limits. Tomorrow, we expect them to help others. Today they are students, but tomorrow they should become teachers sharing skills, creating jobs for themselves and for others,” he said. For Zawugiya Ayingeneye, a single mother specialising in leatherwork, the training has already been life-changing. Once struggling to afford even soap or baby oil for her child, she now earns Rwf 90,000 per month and is planning to establish her own business. “What I have learned, combined with the toolkits I received, is a game-changer. Before, I faced so many difficulties. Now I feel like I have reached my destination, because the challenges that once weighed me down are being solved,” she said. Her experience mirrors that of Christian Kwizera, who studied mechanics. “Before coming to study, life was difficult. Finding food was a problem because there were many children at home. But today, I thank God, because now that I have my tools, I can achieve something,” he said. Both Ayingeneye and Kwizera say the startup kits are more than donations; they represent a gateway to independence and opportunity. According to Bernard Harushabana, Chief of Party at DUHAMIC-ADRI, each graduate received equipment tailored to their trade. “We want them to be able to work independently, but we also encourage collaboration. These days, working together helps increase productivity and expand opportunities,” he explained. Meanwhile, BK Foundation, which allocates 60 per cent of its annual budget to education, has supported a total of 200 young people across different districts this year, investing more than Rwf 42 million in vocational training and startup kits. This effort aligns with Rwanda’s broader national strategy to expand Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a pathway to employment and entrepreneurship for the youth.
