Building Community
RYP welcomes people to get involved in whatever way fits them, from volunteering and giving to visiting Rwanda or simply learning, all united by the goal of helping vulnerable youth build brighter futures.
Because Rwandan culture centers relationships over the individualism common in the USA, RYP invests in knowing one another first, since the trust and respect that follow make collaboration stronger and more lasting. This relationship-first posture is also how RYP works against the long shadow of colonialism and mistrust, which is why patience, humility, and a genuinely long-term view are treated as necessities rather than niceties.
Coaching and Collaborating
Our desire to help starts with listening.
Volunteers bring a wide range of skills, but RYP recognizes that RNI staff and youth hold the real expertise about what vulnerable Rwandan youth need, having lived through genocide and its aftermath, so outside ideas only add value when they build on that local wisdom. RYP therefore works on the priorities RNI leaders and youth identify themselves, spanning everything from youth leadership and mentoring to microfinance, marketing, and business planning.
Fundraising
The businesses RNI youth launch become financially self-sufficient, but philanthropy powers the organizations that make those businesses possible.
Support has come largely from individual donors and groups like congregations and Rotary Clubs, and giving is always shaped around a Rwandan vision of success, pairing donor interests with RNI's own priorities rather than importing an outside agenda. RYP is now beginning to engage foundations, agencies, and corporations too, and it welcomes introductions and suggestions that can open new pathways to opportunity for youth.
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