Centre Marembo
rYico relies largely on public donations to support Centre Marembo. Please help us to maintain the project by making a regular donation or helping us to fundraise. Find out more...
Centre Marembo is a youth-friendly training and drop in centre that supports
disadvantaged young people in Kigali, Rwanda. The centre was founded by
rYico, a UK registered charity, in 2005.
The aim of Centre Marembo is to empower young people in Kigali to gain the necessary skills, information and support to be able to make informed decisions about their futures.
Through field research, rYico identified a number of pertinent issues faced by young people in Kigali including:
I . Lack of access to information and support both for
youth and for youth organisations
II. Lack of provision for Sexual & Reproductive Health Information and other relevant issues
III. Lack of access to training in employable skills
'Marembo' = Gateway / A welcoming meeting place
Purpose of Centre Marembo
Despite the overwhelming number of youth in Rwanda, there is a scarcity of youth-friendly services available that encourage and support their attendance and involvement.
The overarching purpose of the centre is to serve as a central point for both Kigali’s youth and its existing youth organisations, bridging the communication gap within the field of youth in Kigali.
Through Centre Marembo, we endeavour to raise young peoples’ awareness of, and access to, the services and benefits available to them. Centre Marembo’s activities will benefit the youth of Rwanda in the long term by developing their capacity to actively change their environment and raise their quality of life.
Projects at Centre Marembo
To read about Centre Marembo's Project, click here.
Latest news from Centre Marembo
Canadian volunteers, l'AMIE, visit Centre Marembo
Ten young people from Canada are currently visiting Rwanda and will be spending two months working alongside the young people at the centre. The project between Canadian organisation L'AMIE and Centre Marembo, aims to build solidarity between young people. Together, the volunteers and around 50 young people from Centre Marembo will work to deliver activities with an environmental focus beneficial to Centre Marembo and the local community. We managed to chat to one of the young people from Canada. Click here to read the interview.
Partnership with Secondary School - Group Scolaire Saint Joseph
In October 2009 Centre Marembo signed a partnership agreement with a secondary school, St Jospeh, in Cyangugu in South West Rwanda. In exchange for rYico providing English and Science-teaching volunteers to the school, some of Centre Marembo’s former street children will be provided with free education and lodgings.
Centre Marembo staff and volunteers attended a ceremony in September 2009 to officially launch the partnership. Such a partnership is exciting for Centre Marembo as school fees at secondary level can be extremely expensive. In the UK, rYico is keen to hear from volunteers that have English teaching qualifications and are keen to teach at the school. For more information, please email us at info@ryico.org.