Labour Day: Former security guard became an entrepreneur in bakery with CLADHO support

By Elias Hakizimana.

Jean Damascene Rurihose, Nyarugunga sector citizen in Gasabo District has been struggling with hurdles as a security guard earning poor salary.

Two years ago, he got an idea to be a self-employee, leaving the duties of security services from a local firm. He tried making cakes as he liked pastry, but lacking professional skills.

One year of his trial, Rurihose got news that there is a local organization (Umbrella of Human Rights Organizations in Rwanda (CLADHO) that helps youth to gain practical training in culinary arts and joined with the focus on pastry.

“I was trained on good techniques of food preparation, before, I could not help myself thinking about any other project, I and my colleagues were taught how to start from little and grow successfully. With my limited experience I had had plus the professional training by CLADHO, I became an expert and now I am enjoying life with my family,” he said.

The father of one child said the life was improved as he can manage to pay the school fees for his child who is now in nursery three.

“My dream is to grow the business and have a factory that produces all pastry products in the future. Nowadays, my business that is dubbed ‘Delicious cake’ is serving in wedding and birth day parties,” he said.

Rurihose thanks CLADHO to give him a new lease of life as he could not help change life himself.

Evariste Murwanashyaka, Pograms Manager and child rights focal person at of the Umbrella of Human Rights Organizations in Rwanda (CLADHO) told The Inspirer that job creation and respecting the rights of informal sector’s workers are among their responsibilities.

The Umbrella created an environment of cutting the edge of youth unemployment by establishing a training center in culinary and hotel and most especially raising the skills of housemades.

“Most of these youths had not opportunity to study, we collaborate with their employers and give them one-year-training to raise their skills in culinary and hospitality and we help them find internships. We have so far trained 500 children and among them 90 percent were promoted in bid pubs, restaurants and hotels. Their salaries were topped up from Rwf10,000 to Rwf80,00 and from Rwf20,000 to Rwf100,000,” Murwanashyaka noted.

Through this training center, CLADHO created 450 jobs in total and all were helped to find descent works. The Umbrella helped youth to create five cooperatives with equipment to help them work in different pastry products.

“In our periodic research, we give opportunities to the youths and are paid. We have 40 children who are on field country wide to assess children’s issues. We have other 25 casual workers working on child violence  assessment.” He said.

He advises workers to work hard and remember their rights, calling also employers to respect Human Rights based approach to ensure employees are enjoying social security rights and get their allowances as stated by the laws.

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