Besides empowering youth coming across East Africa and RDC, Together for a New Africa is also a meeting of diversity. There is no good leadership at any level if the other is not valued in his/her unicity. Participants have enough time to learn but also to interact as countrymates on what is needed in their country but most of all to interact with others coming from other countries. This can be sometimes challenging due to the language and cultural barriers but as we have witnessed for the first and second leadership training, nothing is impossible if there is a will. Language barriers were broken by the enthusiasm and eagerness of knowing and meeting the other.
For many, it is not only a school on leadership but reading from the past, a review on culture, tradition, and questions on the contribution we, as a youth, can give to participate in the present and build the future for our nations and for Africa. However the journey of changing things might seem long and difficult, the power of knowing that one is not alone led the participants to anticipate their work toward change starting where they are. In other words, they became aware of their role as protagonists in the development/well-being of our communities.
In this time of world crisis due to Covid-19, in South Sudan, they carried out a campaign to inform and create awareness on the danger of Covid-19. In Kenya, they raised money to help those who were seriously affected by the lockdown around Nairobi and other areas. There are also various other activities that were done as responses with the aim of reducing the impact of Covid-19 in various societies. Together for a new Africa also empowered the youth at a personal level. For instance, Mimmy Bigirimana from Burundi was elected ambassador for the campaign zero plastic. This nomination came as the fruit of her zeal in promoting environmental responsibility. Tezra Furaha Semuguruka, a Bachelor student in Finance and Banking, from the United Republic of Tanzania came second in her region Arusha, in elections for special seats for Women in the parliament. There is also Joel Mutombo from RDC, a teacher by profession. During the lockdown period, he helped students revise their materials and used a Radio program to reach as many students as he could.
