EAST AFRICA

Rwanda Youth Music

In the 1990s Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo suffered brutal violence and conflicts. Although Rwanda has maintained peace, ongoing effects, fighting and instability continue in the region today. Importantly, fuelling this violence are histories of colonial oppression, based on war, profit, division and injustice.

Amidst many tragedies, one consequence of conflict in the Great Lakes region of Africa was the rapid spread of HIV. During the 100-day genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, an estimated 150,000 people contracted HIV.

Rwanda Youth Music began in 2012 in response to the legacies of genocide in Rwanda, and the ongoing cycles of violence in the region.

Rwanda Youth Music empowers young people to be actors for change within their own communities and beyond. We build the skills of these local actors in order to provide lasting changes to individuals, communities, and to the infrastructure of care provision in Rwanda.

Over the past 12 years, Rwanda Youth Music has reached over 50,000 children and youth, focussing on communities that face multiple vulnerabilities for their futures, such as in neighbourhoods living in poverty, those living in refugee camps, former street children, orphans, and young people facing challenges to their wellbeing and health. Many of these challenges are cross-cutting, resulting in multiple points of vulnerability for young people who face vastly reduced opportunities for their futures. We work with these children and youth, providing opportunities for creativity, expression and communication. This can be transformative.

Rwanda Youth Music 2024

In 2024, we will augment the expertise of the Rwanda Youth Music team by incorporating approaches from the field of music therapy. The evidence-based approaches of music therapy, targeted towards the care of young people facing the physical and social challenges of disability or HIV, add considerable value to care. Trained music leaders will deliver regular sessions at care and education settings in Kigali, and at the Rwinkwavu District Hospital in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. At the WE-ACTx for Hope clinic in Kigali, young music leaders will provide regular support through music to children and youth living with the affects of HIV.

Regional Hub of Expertise

Over the past ten years, Rwanda Youth Music has become a regional hub of expertise, running trainings across Rwanda, and the region – in Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The strong team of trainers, community music leaders and project coordinators drove the development of Kivu Youth Music in the Democratic Republic of Congo, fuelled by their own personal knowledge of the positive impact music can have.