KIGALI- CorpsAfrica proudly announces that it will launch its African volunteer program in Rwanda beginning this fall.
Rwanda will become the fourth African nation to join the CorpsAfrica network. The organization first started programs in Morocco in 2013, adding operations in Malawi and Senegal in 2015.
On September 17th in Kigali, 11 remarkable young Africans (comprised of eight Rwandans, a Moroccan, a Malawian, and a Senegalese) will begin an intense, yearlong Volunteer experience living in rural communities in Rwanda. Initiatives will include projects ranging from improving agricultural practices to battling malnutrition to mentoring teenage girls who typically do not complete a high school education. Other typical CorpsAfrica programs from which Rwanda will benefit include creating jobs, educating about HIV and AIDS, helping students complete college applications, building community centers, and encouraging entrepreneurial activities, especially among women. CorpsAfrica estimates that each of its Volunteers positively affects 500 people per year.
“We are thrilled to be part of Rwanda’s extraordinary development efforts and get started in a fourth country,” says Founder and Executive Director, Liz Fanning, who served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco during the 1990s. She modeled CorpsAfrica after the Peace Corps but geared her nonprofit to Africans wanting to help other Africans. Despite its global presence, volunteer service through Peace Corps is open to only Americans. “I started CorpsAfrica so African youth could have the same opportunity I did to learn, grow, and make an impact. It is deeply fulfilling to celebrate the extraordinary success of the Peace Corps by passing the baton to young Africans through the continued generous support of OCP.”
“The nation of Rwanda and our Embassy are delighted to work with Liz’s team at CorpsAfrica,” said Her Excellency Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United States. “Rwanda envisions a population with a value system that promotes voluntary service to the nation with the aim of promoting unity, tolerance, patriotism, and democratic governance that leads to sustainable social and economic transformation. CorpsAfrica’s model fits perfectly into Rwanda’s vision of African integration and gives young Africans the opportunity to help their own people in need.”
“The CorpsAfrica Volunteers have made a huge impact on rural villages in Malawi,” notes Arthur Nkosi, Director of CorpsAfrica/Malawi. “Their service experience has helped them to be better citizens and more informed, mature, and dedicated young professionals. As Volunteers, they play a critical role in directing scarce NGO resources to communities that have specifically requested their intervention and, by living in villages for a long period of time, have created trust relationships that last a lifetime. All of this leads to sustainable community development.”
Eustochie Sezibera, the new Country Director of Rwanda, adds .”I am honored to lead CorpsAfrica in Rwanda and excited to work with such remarkable young Africans from across the continent who are eager to be agents of change for their countries, a challenge they deserve. CorpsAfrica places significant priority on ensuring that Volunteers display humility, empathy, and friendship with their host communities. I believe strongly that the new Volunteers in Rwanda will make us all proud.”
CorpsAfrica’s major supporter has been OCP, a global leader in the phosphate industry that has committed to protecting and sustaining global food security.
###