Pay it forward for Young Adults in Global Mission! Through the #YAGMForward campaign, you can help bolster this ministry at a key moment in its history, paying it forward for the next cohort of volunteers.

Your support is especially needed right now. While YAGM is unable to send volunteers due to COVID-19 this year, the vital work of this program continues as YAGM country coordinators partner with our global companions during a pandemic. We need your help to sustain and strengthen the YAGM program for the present and the future.

Give a gift to Young Adults in Global Mission in honor of the YAGM Rwanda country program today. Our goal is to raise $15,000, and you can help us get there! Your gifts will help ensure that this church can continue to accompany our companions, uplift leaders and be church for the sake of the world.

About the YAGM Rwanda Country Program

The YAGM Rwanda program is organized alongside the leadership of the Lutheran Church of Rwanda — a small but growing presence in the country — and is invested in the church’s congregational and community work. The LCR, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary, was founded by six refugee pastors returning home from Tanzania after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and now consists of about 28 parishes with a total worshiping population of roughly 7,500 people.

This faith community is the first priority of a YAGM Rwanda volunteer. In the past, this has led volunteers to join choirs in their congregations; begin small language-tutoring classes with pastors, evangelists and parishioners; and even help neighboring families in their fields. Most volunteers live alongside a family from the church, often the pastor’s family, so the community connection grows naturally. In addition to participating in the weekly congregational life, volunteers also serve in different programs and schools facilitated by the LCR. Additionally, the LCR has a number of vocational training centers that focus on welding and tailoring, so volunteers with a strong knowledge of either skill may be able to support students in these programs. Last, the LCR is in the process of building up its communications department. Volunteers in Rwanda may support the church’s communications work through photography, videography and video editing, writing short articles or organizing trainings to help local leaders document the work of their parishes.

Rwanda is a small, landlocked country in East Africa. With more than 12 million people, it is densely populated, with Kigali, its largest city, serving as the capital. There are a handful of small cities outside Kigali, but a majority of the population live in smaller towns or villages. The whole country sits at a high elevation, its lowest point being 1 kilometer above sea level. Nicknamed “the Land of a Thousand Hills,” Rwanda consists of rolling hills in the east, peaked mountains in the west and inactive volcanoes in the north.