Build Rwanda News

Twenty-one years ago our family lived in Rwanda, where we helped found Christian Life Assembly Church. When we lived in Rwanda we noticed that the majority of young men and women worked as unskilled labourers, even though they had huge potential. However, we noticed that once they started countless Rwandans worked as menial labourers, few of them had any opportunity to get a better education or to improve their position in life. 

During our time in Rwanda, we also observed there was a significant shortage of skilled workers, across a broad range of skill sets. This was confirmed by seeing the finished product that many workers were performing. Even though we lived in the capital city of Kigali, with a population similar in size to Edmonton, it was nearly impossible to find anyone who could build shelving that was straight, wire a house where the electrical actually worked safely, or help solve computer issues when they arose, to provide a few examples among many. It seemed most unfortunate that despite a large group of women and men being very eager to learn, there was a disconnect between the skills that were required and the skills that were available within Rwanda.

It took many years before we were able to do anything about this area of need, but in 2016 we had an opportunity to partner together with Christian Life Assembly to start the construction of a facility that would offer quality training in practical skills and trades that are still desperately needed within Rwanda. Christian Life Assembly is a large church in Kigali, that is passionate about meeting the needs of all members of society. CLA has the human resources to respond to the ever-present challenge, so it is well positioned to work together with skilled Canadians to provide a better future for many young aspiring Rwandans.