SUSAN BABIJJA
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Rwandan youth, through their campaign dubbed Rwanda Youth Campaign for Somalia, on Friday handed over a cheque worth over Rwf 30 million to Cabdullahi Sheikh Maxamed, Somalia's Ambassador to Rwanda.
During the event that attracted members of the National Youth Council and Ministry of Youth and Information and Communication Technology, Maxamed praised the youth for the initiative, saying the gesture will promote and strengthen the relationship between Rwanda and Somalia.
"This is the first youth initiative that has come up with such support and this actually demonstrates not only capacity, but willingness of Rwandans to support your brothers and sisters after the difficult years that we have been going through," said Maxamed.
He explained that Rwanda and Somalia have a lot in common and can still learn from each other based on the past experiences the two countries have gone through.
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Cabdullaahi Sheikh Maxamed
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Maxamed observed that Rwanda is an inspiration to many countries.
"When we consider what has been done in Rwanda in a very short period after what the country went through in 1994, it gives us courage and motivation to work harder and with this kind of partnership, we are sure we shall get there," he said
The cheque was handed over by the Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana.
On his part, Nsengimana observed that the initiative was one of several projects the youth in Rwanda are engaging in as part of their contribution towards the country's development.
"This is just the beginning; we shall continue to work together to ensure that our countries and nationals get the best they expect from us," Nsengimana said.
Youth Campaign for Somalia is an initiative started by Emmanuel Hitimana, who used facebook to call upon the public to make contributions towards supporting the Somali people.
"The conflict in the country that left hundreds displaced and many dead was worsened by famine. So, they need support," Hitimana said.
He said within 24 hours, he had got 300 people on facebook willing to contribute to the campaign. He told The Sunday Times that the government played a major role in making the campaign a success.
During the ceremony, the Secretary for the Somali Community in Rwanda, Marian Dualle, made a presentation how the country was torn apart right from the 60s.
"When we resisted the Western powers to penetrate on the interior, this was what resulted into the British colonising the north while Italy colonized the southern part," she said.
Source: The New Times