Japan provides Sh355m to fund youth volunteer programme

Japan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Tatsushi Terada said his Government provided Sh355 million to finance the first year of the Future Leaders programme, a national volunteer initiative.

President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the programme Wednesday at State House, Nairobi, saying that it will promote national cohesion, improve primary school education and create enriching opportunities for fresh university graduates. He expressed optimism that the volunteer programme will inculcate a sense of patriotism and unity among the youth.

“It is through this kind of initiatives that we will be able to make people understand that at the end of the day, we are all one people with shared values, shared objectives and shared needs. And that it is only through working together that we will be able to resolve some of the problems that we face as a country,” the president said.

The first batch of 150 volunteers – trained for two weeks – will be deployed to teach in primary schools in eight counties in the first phase of the programme but later it will be extended all the 47 counties. In the first year of the programme, it will be implemented in eight counties – West Pokot, Kilifi, Machakos, Garrisa, Nyeri, Samburu, Kisumu and Busia.

President Kenyatta said the programme will expose the youth to Kenya’s rich cultural heritage and urged young people to play a leading role in rooting out the negative ethnicity dragging the country backward.

“I really hope that you will be the trailblazers, you will set the example and encourage others to see what beauty there is in calling yourselves Kenyans and at the same time recognize that our rich diversity is a thing that we should all cherish,” the President told the youth.

He emphasised that the country cannot achieve its development goals without national unity, adding that it will be hard to achieve national cohesion if the youth are not exposed to the country’s diverse cultural heritage.

“Our culture should not be a source of division; our diversity should not be a source of division. These are things that should enrich us instead of dividing us,” the President said.

As he sent the volunteers out to serve in the eight counties, the President advised them to serve their fellow Kenyans with dedication.

Deputy President William Ruto, who was also present at the function said by focusing on the youth, the programme will give them a chance to know their country better and promote national cohesion and unity.

“The programme will enable you to appreciate that while it is good to belong to your village, it is better to belong to your county but its best to belong to your country,” the Deputy President told the volunteers.

Other speakers included Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi, Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) CEO Carol Kariuki and Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) National Chairman Wilson Sossion who pledged the teachers union’s support to the programme.