AGRA-Rwanda Trains YEFFA Partners on Safeguarding to Strengthen Protection of Youth and Communities.

YEFFA is an AGRA initiative that supports young people, especially young women, to build sustainable businesses and employment opportunities within the agri-food sector through entrepreneurship, skills development, and access to markets and business support services.

The training, held from May 20 to 22, 2026, brought together 41 field officers working across six districts in the Eastern Province. The initiative aims to strengthen partners’ understanding of safeguarding principles and ensure the protection of youth, beneficiaries, and communities engaged in AGRA-supported programs.

Speaking during the training, Johanita Mwiza, Safeguarding Officer at AGRA-Rwanda, said the training focuses on helping field staff identify safeguarding concerns, report cases, and respond appropriately whenever issues arise.

“We want to ensure that all field officers who interact with youth and beneficiaries on a daily basis are able to identify safeguarding concerns, report them, and respond as quickly as possible,” she said.

According to Mwiza, safeguarding is central to AGRA’s commitment to creating safe environments for everyone involved in its programs, including beneficiaries, service providers, and partners.

“The impact of safeguarding in the YEFFA program and AGRA at large is to ensure that whoever comes into contact with us feels protected and safe, and is able to do what they are supposed to do without fear of harm, abuse, or exploitation,” she added.

Participants described the training as timely and practical, especially for organizations working directly with communities and youth.

Nathalie Nikuza, one of the participants, said safeguarding helps create safe and respectful environments where people are protected from discrimination, abuse, and neglect.

During the YEFFA Trainings 

“It is very important, especially for those working with communities. Safeguarding teaches us prevention, reporting, and response mechanisms whenever cases that require attention arise,” she explained.

Another participant, Nkubito Eden from ADC, said the knowledge gained from the training would improve the way field officers engage with entrepreneurs, farmers, and youth beneficiaries.

“Some of the things we were doing every day without fully understanding the principles behind them. Now we understand how to identify concerns, report them properly, and support people better,” he said.

AGRA-Rwanda says the safeguarding training will continue in other provinces in the coming weeks as part of broader efforts to strengthen accountability, inclusion, and protection within agricultural development programs across the country.