Rotary Club grooms peace volunteers

The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards organised a peace conference for youth in Kigali to sensitize them on volunteering.

The meeting explored how young people can be grown up to build self-confidence together, gain exposure to a variety of issues, and learn valuable information and career skills.

The President of the Effective Commission of Kigali Rotary Club, Jean Kalima Runuya, told The New Times that they want to develop and enhance leadership skills in youth through activities conducted in an atmosphere of trust and respect.

“We believe that the youth are the one to change this world better, but they do not get enough skills to do so. Rotary helps them to expand their skills and sends them to serve their own communities and beyond,” he said.

For their seminar, the youth will be focusing on how Gacaca courts in Rwanda were used to solve conflicts, and learning how they can practice good leadership in their countries.

Runuya said they are also supporting new generations by offering educational programs such as Rotary Peace Fellowships and scholarship to promote international understanding of peace by bringing together young people from different countries and cultures.

Ronald Kawaddwa, the District Chair for New Generation Uganda, said Rotarians would like to make communities better than they found them.

“We have been told that we are leaders of tomorrow, but we have not been equipped well enough to be able to lead. At Rotary programs we are able to be whoever we want to be,” he said.

Marie Josée Umutesi, a sixteen-year old student from Fawe Girls School in Kigali who is a member of Rotary Club emphasized that being a member of Rotary Club helps her develop professional and leadership skills of helping her own community.

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service and encourages high ethical standards in all vocations.

It has reached at 1.2 million Rotarians and 34,000 Rotary clubs all over the world.