Today, the Minister of Local Government Jean Claude Musabyimana joined leaders and youth from nine African countries gathered in Kigali for CorpsAfrica “All-Country Conference 2023” to discuss on the theme: “Youth shaping the future of Africa”.
CorpsAfrica is a nonprofit organization that provides the opportunity for Africans to serve as volunteers in their own countries giving them the opportunity to apply their education, skills, and energy toward helping their fellow citizens overcome extreme poverty.
CorpsAfrica is hosting its second “All-Country Conference” this June in Kigali, Rwanda, bringing together Volunteers, staff, Board members, and partners from around the world.
In his opening remarks, Minister Jean Claude Musabyimana thanked CorpsAfrica for choosing Rwanda to host the conference. He shared Rwanda’s journey of rebuilding and rising from the ashes of the genocide against Tutsi to be the country it is today and the role of the youth.
Minister Musabyimana said: “Volunteerism is the act of willingly investing one’s time and effort to help communities without expecting any monetary reward in return. It is a powerful tool that can bring about significant changes in society, especially in relation to economic development.”
“Volunteerism plays a vital role in fostering social cohesion and inclusivity in communities. When individuals volunteer their time and skills, they contribute to the betterment of the community, which leads to improved social and economic conditions”, Minister Musabyimana added.
“Volunteerism is not new in Rwandan culture. Most of the home grown solutions that we have are based on volunteerism culture such as Umuganda, Gacaca, Abunzi, Ubudehe, local leaders and councilors,…all contributing to improving welfare of the population”, he emphasized.
In Rwanda, CorpsAfrica volunteers are deployed in eight districts to facilitate the mindset change of community members and development, and Rwanda expects CorpsAfrica to expand its activities in the other 22 remaining districts.
CorpsAfrica was founded in 2011 by former Peace Corps Volunteer Liz Fanning with the idea of turning community development in Africa over to local changemakers.
During her own service, Liz was approached by young Moroccans who wanted to be Peace Corps Volunteers so they could help people in their own country, but she had to tell them it was only for Americans.
That exchange sparked the idea for an organization built on the simple belief that young Africans are the catalyst for lasting growth in Africa.
Building on the enormous success of the Peace Corps, CorpsAfrica offers a similar transformative experience to young Africans, giving them the chance they deserve to be a part of the solution and to find their place in the world.
Since launching its first program in Morocco in 2013, it has expanded to 10 countries across the continent and aims to expand to all 54 of Africa’s countries in the next ten years.
To date, CorpsAfrica has hosted hundreds of volunteers from Morocco to Senegal, Malawi, Rwanda, Ghana and Kenya, who have completed over 800 projects, including building wells, schools, roads, and irrigation systems; establishing literacy programs; and supporting vegetable and livestock farms.
Corps Africa “All-Country Conference 2023” serves as a space to learn with and from peers across the continent and feature a blend of activities including workshops, sessions and events open to the public, and site visits for attendees to learn hands-on from CorpsAfrica’s work in Rwanda. (End).