Meeting, staying and working together: YPARD 10 Years Anniversary Celebrations the DRC way!

By Hervé Bondonga and Lynn Mazianda

"Better late than never", we say. On Tuesday, December 27, 2016 , thirty six YPARD DRC members from Kinshasa together with two guests, Mrs. Marie Phoba, president of the NGO SOS Family DRC, and Ms Aurore Ibovi, from Congo Brazzaville  met at 16th Street Limete, Plazza Village for an unforgettable moment of celebration of YPARD's 10 Years anniversary. The gathering also aimed at celebrating this young chapter which is already participating in the sensitisation of young Congolese in the development of agriculture.

A cake was shared during the celebration in order to consolidate the relationship amongst the YPARD members in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was also an appropriate moment for the team to relay happy new year wishes to every YPARD member. 

As the Country Representative of YPARD DRC, Aimé Kazika, took the opportunity to remind all who were present that YPARD provides an opportunity for young people to be able to express themselves, make their innovative ideas acknowledged and to contribute to political debates related to agricultural development. He also pointed out that  it is a national and international network for young people from different socio-professional, ages, expertise  backgrounds with a goal to exchange, participate, build relationships and take advantage of opportunities such as internships, jobs, e-learning among others. 

Additionally, some members present shared their testimony during the sharing of the cake delivered by the two guests:

Lynn, a communication student and an active member of YPARD DRC expressed how the beautiful evening gave her an opportunity to know other members of YPARD and to be more involved in exchanges among young people.

On the other hand, Raissa,  the YPARD DRC Communication Focal Point emphasised on YPARD being a professional network of young people, and invited all YPARD members of DRC to dynamically participate in the movement for the smooth operation of the activities.

Jerry Nkoso, a computer scientist by training who was attending YPARD's event for the first time expressed his love for the event and YPARD network in general. Words like "I loved it ... it was fantastic..." filled the air in the meeting. To him, having access to such a platform to get to know and share experiences with other young people was definitely a good experience.

And for Lemien Saka, he believes that it is in the commitment of everyone that a nation rises and such commitment was evident at the YPARD DRC 10 years celebrations.

The event ended with an introduction of the YPARD DRC committee to all the members present. A family photo was also captured to immortalize the 10th anniversary of YPARD in the DRC.

To conclude, Aimé Kazika acknowledged and appreciated the great team of YPARD DRC members who showed proof of commitment so as to have a strong and dynamic chapter able to meet the expectations of the Congolese youth in the field of development. In addition, he congratulated them for their presence at the event.

Henry Ford once said," Meeting is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success" and this was indeed the key message during the 10 years of YPARD celebration in Kinshasa in the Republic Democratic of the Congo.