Malachie promoting change in his community
Malachie, is a 23-year-old young person from Rwizingwe community in Gitaramuka commune, Karusi province. He is sowing seeds of change in his community thanks to training sessions rolled out by World Vision. Those are: empowerment on social entrepreneurship, active citizenship, employability and self-protection.
When Malachie recalls his tough past and the step he has reached, his face beams with joy. During a night troubled by the nightmare of an uncertain future, he recounts how an idea came to him to rekindle a long-extinguished flame: that of giving life to TWITEZIMBERE RWARUKA club (Young people, let's develop club).
"I initiated this club in 2017 after I was trained by World Vision Burundi on mindset change " explains, the leader of a club made of 26 young people.
In Gitaramuka commune, training sessions targeting the youth were rolled out after World Vision introduced the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Economic Empowerment (SKYE) project model in 2017. The project model is an integrated approach to support disadvantaged female and male youth develop the skills, behaviours, and attitudes necessary to obtain sustainable livelihoods and participate constructively in their communities.
Since then, across World Vision Burundi programs in different Area Programs, about a hundred clubs were initiated. Small jobs initiated thanks to such clubs help fight against unemployment among the youth as the labor market has a limited absorption capacity of the youth, due to the large number of young people who enter it each year.
Statistics of 2022 from the Burundi National Institute of Statistics, revealed that some 53.4% of people surveyed who claimed to be employed were in fact underemployed, working an average of less than 40 hours a week.
Malachie: A role model
In Malachie’s clubs, goats and pigs are breed, and they also grow maize, soybeans and eggplants thanks to an initial capital they contracted from their Village Saving and Lending Association (VSLA).
Farming activities are carried out on an arable land of approximately 0.5 hectares they bought at 1,500,000 BIF (about US $450). Malachie did not limit his dream and skills to the club, he also helped initiate other 6 clubs that are having approximately 250 members and are engaged in farming and livestock breeding.
"I have six goats and a farm of eggplants of a very productive variety", he explains, pointing out that on weekly basis, his harvest procure him approximately 100,000 Burundian francs (US $40).
Apart from farming, livestock breeding, saving and lending, the clubs also raised a fund to support each other and are working to raise a considerable fund for investment. “Looking back at where I came from, I am proud of the step reached and hope for a bright future”, says Malachie.
Malachie wishes to see in ten years, a changed community, whereby the youth and adults are able to initiate their own projects and able to apply improved farming techniques.
Parents and local administration appreciation
Both parents and the local administration agree that Malachie doesn’t keep his skills to himself.
“"I had a lot of trouble putting food on the table for my family before my son was trained. But after putting into practice what he learned, I copied from him and there has been an improvement in our family” says Maurice, Malachie’s father.
Asked whether Malachie’s initiatives are of support to community, Nestor, Rwizingwe community leader replies that the youth is gradually being empowered to initiate their projects unlike in the past thanks to farming and livestock initiatives they have recently undertaken.
“We used to see most of the youth in our community as people with no vision, but now, they have changed and are empowered thanks to World Vision’s initiatives”, says Nestor.