Continuing our series of articles from our Annual Report 2023/24, we outline here our work on our Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP).

In 2021, Clifford Chance and Survivors Fund launched the Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP) to support the National Survivor’s Association of Graduates (GAERG) in assisting their peer survivors in Kigali City, Eastern Province, and Southern Province. The project targeted university graduates, secondary school graduates, and young people who had dropped out of school and lacked income for themselves and their families, prioritising girls who did not previously have access to such opportunities.

The YEEP project participants are survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Many of these survivors grew up in orphanages or were cared for by different people. This background often hindered their ability to study well and achieve good grades, making it difficult for them to pursue higher education or secure jobs after university. YEEP was developed to support this specific group, enabling them to develop livelihoods, raise their living standards, and improve their well-being and that of their families.

The project initially focused on three regions of Rwanda. In its first year, YEEP was implemented in the three districts of Kigali City: Gasabo, Kicukiro, and Nyarugenge. In the second year, the project expanded to the Eastern Province, targeting districts with a significant number of beneficiaries, including Kayonza, Rwamagana, and Bugesera. In its third year, YEEP focused on the Southern Province, specifically in the districts of Huye, Nyanza, Kamonyi, and Muhanga.

The partnership between Clifford Chance and Survivors Fund (SURF) has enabled GAERG to reach more vulnerable genocide survivors across various districts. This collaboration has provided survivors with access to loans through a Loan Guarantee Fund scheme established between Survivors Fund (SURF) and Goshen Finance. Entrepreneurship training has empowered young genocide survivors to start small income-generating activities, thereby supporting their families. This was achieved through vocational training, internships, and work readiness programs.

As a result, the project achieved the following by its conclusion:

• At least 6,224 young genocide survivors (3,742 females and 2,482 males) benefited from different various components of the programme over the three years of implementation.
• 3,313 young survivors (1,784 females and 1,529 males) received entrepreneurship training. Following the training, beneficiaries formed 71 savings groups in their communities and began saving before applying for loans from Goshen Finance. Consequently, 1,684 participants saved 66,492,360 Rwf (41,558 GBP).
• YEEP enabled young genocide survivors to increase their income through job creation, with 951 participants starting small businesses using loans from both Goshen Finance and their own savings. The total loans disbursed amounted to 128,423,167 Rwf (80,264 GBP).
• An internship program, designed at the beginning of the project, saw 1,183 young people participate to gain new skills across various domains.
• Out of 799 loan applications submitted to Goshen for evaluation and disbursement, 320 businesses were awarded loans. Loan officers and project staff continue to assist more young people in accessing additional loans.
• Over the past three years, the GAERG website, renovated and updated with new content, attracted 137,350 visits from people seeking information related to jobs and soft skills.
• 315 young survivors enrolled in vocational training over three years across various fields, including hairdressing, car driving, automobile mechanics, cooking, baking, filmmaking, and tailoring. Training course duration ranged from 3 to 12 months, with the project covering school fees and scholastic materials to prevent dropouts. All 315 completed their studies. At least 251 young survivors secured jobs or started small businesses after completing their vocational training, and those who have not yet started businesses have been linked with Goshen Finance to finance their business ideas.
• The project trained 1,413 young survivors in the work readiness program, helping them to write convincing CVs and application letters. This addressed a common issue among genocide survivors, who often struggled with application writing. As a result, 224 young survivors secured internships in both private and public institutions, and 158 of them obtained employment, enabling them to financially support their families. A further 98 participants secured employment through jobs created from the small businesses set up by project participants.

Madelene is one of the YEEP beneficiaries who has received entrepreneurship skills training. She is a genocide survivor living in Kinyinya Sector in Kigali. She is married with 4 children. Before joining YEEP the life was not good. She has been unemployed for the last 7 years. She started a small boutique, but due to lacking the capital, and not having had access to any business skills training, it was not a success.

After completing the YEEP entrepreneurship training, Madelene took a loan of Rwf 400,000 (£265) from Goshen to expand her store, and she now generates a monthly income of Rwf 300,000 (£200), up from the Rwf 50,000 (£35) she generated before starting the programme. The value of her business is up to RWF 5,000,000 (£3,300) and she has plans to expand it further.

“This project has helped many young survivors who graduated from school and were not be able to get jobs. Many unemployed young survivors were living in isolation, and developed mental health issues, as a result of thinking about the past and what is happening to them – related to the tragedy of genocide in Rwanda, and the relatives and parents they lost.

“YEEP has increased my knowledge about business, and I was lucky enough to be part of it. I learnt a lot during the training, including about customer care, writing a business plan, financial institutions, loans and repayments, market research, amongst many other subjects. My boutique was about to close, but I took a loan of Rwf 400,000 (£265) and added more items and customers returned and I started to make a profit. I am able now able to meet all my basic needs, including food, school fees, and household goods.

“In addition to that, I have also gained a new family, of those whom we attended training together. We are still meeting every month to discuss our businesses and supporting each other to ensure that we maintain our loan repayments. I am able to save Rwf 50,000 every month.”

Madelene is very thankful to GAERG and SURF for the great support she has received, and of thinking about the young survivors like her who have not managed to get jobs after completing their studies. When they are unemployed their mental health issues increase, because they don’t have families to take care of them and support their good initiatives.

The programme is further illustrated through this short film…