Let Africa Live

A former secondary school teacher, Sosthène Kubisa founded Let Africa Live (LAV, Laissez L’Afrique Vivre) in 2001 with a vision to equip vulnerable youth including former child soldiers, sex slaves, and orphans who did not attend school with viable economic opportunities.

LAV provides a variety of support services and resources to vulnerable youth in South Kivu, including vocational training programs in auto-mechanics, masonry, sewing, electrics, IT, and carpentry.  Small class sizes allow teachers to provide support and give personalized attention to students as a means of providing the counseling and psychological support necessary to ensure student have not only the technical skills, but also the social skills to fully integrate into their communities. And beyond skill-building education, LAV also provides graduates with a micro-grant to utilize their newly-learned skills at the end of their training, allowing them to invest in their own small enterprises.

In addition, LAV works in partnership with smaller local organizations in order to train their personnel on the rights of the child, psychosocial assistance for troubled youth, and administrative skills. These organizations are based in rural areas and convey messages on children’s rights and opportunities for vulnerable youth in areas that LAV cannot consistently reach. These partnerships serve to enhance both the capacity of smaller organizations as well as enable LAV to reach a larger population.  

In 2010, LAV received $50,000 to expand its micro-grant grant program to open opportunities for near 300 vocational program graduates.