The Head of State argued that nation-building is a collaborative effort and challenged the young people to use their skills to improve their lives and communities.
“There is no one person who can work alone in their own way to develop our people or our country. There is no single person who can do everything alone to benefit other people if they don’t work together,” President Kagame stated.
“This country is not for individuals or a specific group. It is for all of us. When we put our efforts together, when we work together, we are striving for the development of our nation and our collective development as a people.”
He was speaking at BK Arena in Kigali, where more than 7,500 youth volunteers gathered to celebrate their contributions to Rwanda’s development.
Acknowledging the youth volunteers’ sacrifices, Kagame noted that the young people played a key role in the government’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The fact that you accepted to sacrifice yourself, it’s just a reminder of our existing tradition of self-sacrifice. You demonstrated that during Covid-19, as youth volunteers, and it helped a lot in our fight against that pandemic. We would not have succeeded in our fight against COVID-19 without the important role you played,” he added.
He challenged the youths to keep up the volunteering spirit and work to better their skills every day.
“Where you have to put a lot of effort, where it all begins, the foundation of it all, is in building yourselves as individuals, each one of you. Build yourselves, and keep on that volunteerism spirit. Your willingness alone is not enough, you have to build your capabilities and equip yourself with skills so that you can put into practice everything you are willing to do,” the president told the volunteers.
Abdallah Utumatwishima, the Minister of Youth and Arts, also lauded the youths for their selfless efforts that helped the country navigate the challenging COVID-19 times.
“In the journey of 10 years, the world was shocked by the Covid-19 pandemic followed by disasters brought about by climate change that claimed the lives of many people. We are grateful for youth volunteers’ contributions through physical and mental work shown as we navigated the challenges,” Utumatwishima lauded the volunteers.
The volunteers, who attended the event, are among thousands of young people motivated to serve their communities in various parts of the country.
Most of the youth are involved in various development activities, including building houses, taking care of vulnerable members of society, and raising awareness about emerging public health issues.
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