With your help over the past five years, our
boys have grown into young men before our eyes. As the oldest youth continue succeeding
in secondary school, we have increasingly focused on preparing them for their
futures beyond formal education. We recently partnered with Karisimbi Business Partners and Asili Natural Oils to take our eldest six youth on a professional field
trip. To prepare for the day, the boys spent time learning about
professionalism, practicing hand shakes, and learning to introduce themselves
with confidence, eye contact, and clear voices. 19-year old Paul was so excited
for the field trip that he couldn’t sleep the night before. When the day of
their trip finally arrived, these young men took an hour and a half to get
ready! They were bursting with anticipation and excitement.
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| From left to right: Jon Porter of Karisimbi Business Partners, David, D'Amour, Paul, Baby, Jack & Pacifique |
David, D’Amour, Paul, Baby, Jack, and
Pacifique visited Asili Natural Oils and spent the day job shadowing and
learning about business, professionalism, and future careers offered within the
field. They were inspired by a current employee who was a former street child. This
man was hired after completing school, and he shared that through hard work and
integrity, he was promoted multiple times and is now a supervisor. It was an
incredibly eye-opening experience for our youth to see that after they complete
secondary school, a future career is indeed attainable. 19-year-old Baby said
of the experience, “Seeing their company gave me hope. I saw that you can start
at something small but through hard work, you can develop. I can make it in
life. I’m so happy for this experience.”
After the visit, the manager of Asili Natural
Oils commented on how impressed he was by our boys’ focus and attentiveness. Because
of how professionally our boys behaved, we are now coordinating with Asili
management possible internships this coming winter.
We
are so proud of our young men! Five years ago, their only dream was to survive.
Today, they are not only exploring potential careers, but have developed hope,
self-confidence, and a strong work ethic. May the hope that is so tangibly displayed in these young
men’s futures bring you great encouragement. They could not have gotten to
where they are without the HFLM community at large standing beside them. Thank
you!
