My journey with CorpsAfrica truly began the day I left my training site and host family to travel to my new home in Bitare Village, Musanze District, Musanze Sector, Cyabagarura Cell. I arrived with excitement and a strong desire to serve, but what I found on the ground surprised me. Community participation was extremely low. People rarely attended government programs, inteko meetings were no longer happening, and the community had very little understanding of the CorpsAfrica initiative I had come to introduce. One moment I will never forget is the very first umuganda I attended. Only five people showed up.
A few days later, I organized a meeting to register youth for a new community group. I prepared everything, set up the space, arranged the chairs, and waited with hope. But no one came. I found myself standing completely alone. It was a challenging moment, but instead of giving up, I decided to try a different approach.
I began reaching out to people individually. I visited homes, greeted families, listened to their concerns, and explained, slowly and patiently, what CorpsAfrica is and how we could work together. These one-on-one conversations helped build understanding and trust, one household at a time. By the end of September, I had registered just ten youth members. Though the number was small, I knew it was a real beginning. As weeks passed, something started to shift. People began asking questions. Some youth returned with their friends, parents encouraged their children to join, and community leaders started showing interest and support.
Today, I am proud to share that our group has grown from five participants to over seventy active members. Together, we are involved in various activities aimed at improving community well-being and strengthening development efforts in Bitare Village. What began as a difficult and uncertain experience has grown into a powerful story of resilience, trust, and transformation.
This journey taught me that real change does not happen overnight. It grows slowly through patience, consistent engagement, and genuine partnership with the community. Most importantly, I learned that every strong movement starts with a single conversation, a single believer, a single step. In Bitare Village, that single step has opened the door to a vibrant, motivated, and active community, one that is now working together for a better future.
