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Organization	PygmySurvival Alliance
Region	Rwanda
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	N/A
ProjectLeader	Karl Weyrauch

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This project will deliver skills training to 20 young adults in greatest need (formerly known in Rwanda as the Batwa) to help them reach a future with self-respect, steady income, and freedom from hunger. Entrepreneurial shopkeepers, seamstresses, hair dressers, welders and brickmakers have already been supported to develop skills and practice to help them prosper... and there is much more to do! Now, mechanics, singers, dancers and potters are all looking to grow their businesses.

Challenge

Young women and men in Cyaruzinge Village are searching for a way to make a living that provides food security, decent housing, and a way to create meaning in their lives. They want to learn and contribute to the community where they grew up. But how can they do that in face of many challenges, such as social isolation, lack of successful role models, and uncertainty about what might be possible in their fast-changing future? There is no lack of desire, only a lack of guidance and support.

Long-Term Impact

This project will help teens avoid the risks of substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy, social isolation, depression and low self-esteem that are common in this age group. It will help youth create hope for a better future that will enable them to wake up each day with a sense of purpose and possibility rather that feelings of alienation, impotence and futility. Successful participation in a vocational-skill-building process will give these young minds a chance to stretch and blossom as adults.