During the event, Niringiyimana and Abdallah Murenzi, the national coordinator for Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) talked about the importance of developing a spirit of volunteerism.
“One of the reasons why I started building that road is mainly because sick people from my area had difficulties reaching the hospital because the road was bushy. Once, some of my neighbors were carrying one of their sick relatives to the hospital and dropped him down. That motivated me to start building the road so that my neighbors could easily access health services.”
23-year-old Niringiyimana explained that when he was building the road, he met a couple of obstacles where some of his neighbors called him mad because they could not understand why he was working for free.
“We should all focus on doing what is best for us and for our country without being discouraged.”
Some of the students who talked to IGIHE after listening to Niringiyimana’s testimony said they learned a lot of life lessons from him.
Bintunimana Christophe, one of the students says Niringiyimana motivated him to start contributing to the development of his country through volunteerism.
Uwishema Celine who attended the talks too said Niringiyimana Emmanuel taught her to be philanthropic and to contribute to the development of the country without expecting a return.
After Niringiyimana built the seven-kilometer road, he gained recognition and was invited to ‘Kwita Izina’, the annual gorilla naming ceremony that happened on the 6th of September, 2019 and was appointed as Airtel ambassador in November 2019.
He told the students that he has a long-term project of building a fish pond in Murambi sector and contribute to dietary diversity in his neighborhood.
Abdallah Murenzi, the national coordinator for Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) told the students that contributing to the development of the country does not require being financially stable.
“Working for your country does not require you to have a lot of money. All you need is that charitable spirit Niringiyimana portrayed”
Niringiyimana told IGIHE he will soon start a training course in modern road construction.
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