Scholar Joseph Munyambanza Talks Youth Cooperation at Kyangwali Refugee Settlement

“At first, our primary focus was to improve education outcomes and access to education,” says Joseph Munyambanza. “But we realized, working in a community where people have complex issues, especially issues around poverty, it’s really hard to address an issue of access to education when you’re not empowering families to have an increased income.” A co-founder of COBURWAS International Youth Organization to Transform Africa (CIYOTA), Joseph shares his early journey from his village in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kyangwali Refugee Settlement as a young boy. He explains how his first years in the settlement compelled him and other youth to come together to increase access to education, improve learning outcomes, and support livelihoods. Joseph is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar in the Program at African Leadership Academy (Westminster College).