Strengthening youth – perspectives through
economic participation.
SEVOTA (Solidarité pour l’Épanouissement des Veuves et des Orphelins visant le Travail et l’Autopromotion) was founded in 1994 by social worker and genocide survivor Godelieve Mukasarasi. Emerging from the support of genocide survivors, its work today focuses on disadvantaged youth, women with experience of violence and orphaned families. SEVOTA supports 125 groups with 1,778 families in eleven districts of Rwanda. The focus is on trauma management, peacebuilding and economic participation. In 62 youth clubs with almost 1,900 participants, the organisation strengthens commitment, resilience and personal responsibility – for sustainable perspectives in regions marked by violence.
Despite economic progress, youth unemployment remains a key challenge in Rwanda – especially for survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. In a nationwide survey by SEVOTA with 48% of youth clubs from 30 districts, 16.7% of young people stated that they were not employed. The majority were active in low-paid activities – such as livestock breeding, agriculture or informal crafts.
The average income was less than 50 US dollars per month, too little for financial independence or entrepreneurial development. To counteract this situation, SEVOTA is focusing on building high-performance youth cooperatives in industries with long-term growth potential – such as tailoring, hairdressing, construction, agriculture and small businesses.
In the Kamonyi district, SEVOTA's three-year project strengthens the economic independence of young people through targeted promotion of entrepreneurial and technical skills. The focus is on modern agriculture, crafts and basic business management skills. Young people should be offered prospects for a stable income, professionalise their products and improve access to markets.
The project combines technical training, peace education and conflict management with the provision of start-up capital and the promotion of access to financial institutions. In three years, 27 youth clubs will work with SEVOTA – a total of 1,026 young people will benefit. They acquire practical skills in hairdressing, construction, bakery, welding, tailoring and embroidery as well as knowledge in business management, marketing and cooperative formation. After the first year, the number of participants will be increased annually to achieve a growing impact.
The Lemonaid & ChariTea Foundation covers the financing of personnel costs and further training in order to ensure a long-term impact.
Vedaste Habamenshi
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Website: https://sevotapeace.org
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