Inspire, Educate and Empower Rwanda (IEE), is collaborating with CorStone, a US-based nonprofit organization leading on programming around resilience through a programme entitled Youth First Rwanda (YFR), which IEE is implementing in 50 schools, located in 6 districts across Rwanda. Youth First Rwanda is a school-based integrated resilience and adolescent health program designed to improve mental and physical wellbeing and education-related outcomes among senior one students, between 13 and 15 years of age. 

As part of project rollout activities, IEE convened District Education Officers (DEOs), District Directors of Education (DDEs), Sector Education Inspectors (SEIs), Head Teachers and Directors of Studies (DOS) in a one-day workshop at Olympic Hotel in Kigali on Friday October 29,2021, at which these officials were introduced to the project, its rationale, and requirements for effective implementation. The officials collectively discussed roles each official is expected to undertake to ensure that the youth agenda in this program is attained. As part of the workshop, the participants discussed challenges that the adolescents face, including drug abuse, early pregnancies, peer pressure and lack of focus. The officials also discussed what every stakeholder needs to do to address the physical, mental, social, health and emotional challenges faced by adolescents.The YFR Program Manager introduced the resilience program to the officials which is evidence backed and is believed to support the adolescents acquire skills for thriving in amidst the challenges. The resilience skills include planning, self-awareness, esteem, and efficacy and many more. Youth First Rwanda is a school-based integrated resilience and adolescents’ health program designed to improve their mental, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing as well as improve their academic performance.

While officially opening the workshop, the Country Director of IEE Emmanuel Murenzi told participants that adolescents need to be supported to face modern day challenges and take informed decisions while shaping their future.

“Children have visible and non-visible challenges, some parents do not get time for their children, who need to be helped amidst challenges. To succeed in this, everyone’s support is needed; from family members to community members, to ensure that young people are listened to, and supported to navigate decision-making that impacts their learning and their lives in short and long term courses of time”, Murenzi said. In their discussions, participants raised issues of great concern about adolescents and emphasized that there should be open discussions on sexual reproductive health between parents and children, children rights, establishment of more youth centers, awareness about one-stop centers and prosecution of child abusers.

Joselyne Nirere, one of the participants, is a Director of Studies at Groupe Scolaire Nyirarukobwa in Bugesera District.  She said that adolescents are affected by poverty, peer pressure, drug abuse and influence of technology all of which call for intervention from different stakeholders and intentional mentorship, both at community and school level. The government should introduce career guidance in schools and ensure that law enforcement on people who lead young people into committing crimes.The Youth First Rwanda program trains teachers as facilitators to guide discussions in classroom settings in groups of 20 students in one-hour sessions held once per week. This program was piloted in 5 schools in Gasabo and Bugesera districts, with more than 600 Senior 1 students and 30 facilitators. The schools piloted on in Gasabo district are GS Kimironko II, GS Remera Catholique and GS Rugando, while in Bugesera it was done at GS Rilima and GS Rilima catholique.

According to Jane Nungari, the YFR Program Manager at IEE, investing in the lives of young people enables them to forward their future agenda and that of a country at large. Nungari added though there are many inevitable challenges that adolescents face which include developmental, social, emotional, and family problems, the students can still thrive and achieve their goals if well equipped with skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes for resilience.CorStone-USA seeks to support the Rwanda Basic Education Board  (REB) in the implementation, of resilience programmes to support children’s mental and emotional well-being to facilitate their learning. YFR is aimed at reaching about 30,000 S-1 students in public schools across all the 30 districts in Rwanda by the end of 2024.