Rift Valley Intern Anne Akida shares:

"The closing ceremony was held on 28th February 2012 at Kericho Youth Centre(KYC). The occasion was held between 1.00pm-4.00pm. We started with a word of prayer from Anne Osiaga; one of the participants. Introductions were done everyone stating their places of residence. In attendance were Mr. Kimani Jacob (District Youth Officer Kericho West), Mr. Chepkwony (District Youth Officer Kericho East), Ruth Mwangi (Field Officer, DOT Kenya), Mr. Evans Mutai (Equity Bank, Kericho Branch) and Mr. Daniel Ronoh (Manager Kericho Youth Centre).Mr Daniel gave a brief history of KYC and its profile. He also talked about the programs that his centre runs such as Reproductive Health, Peace Building and Environmental Conservation. He also talked about KYC funders and their partners.We were also educated on HIV and AIDS by Jonathan Cheruiyot, a HIV Testing and Counselling Counselor.

Ruth Mwangi of DOT Kenya gave the structure of DOT and the regions it works in. She also mentioned the four programs i.e. ReachUp! , StartUp!, ScaleUP! And TeachUp! And what each of them deals with.

We were also honored to get information about entrepreneurship and technology from Mr. Kimani. He was very inspirational and geared he participants' focus towards the opportunities around their local communities. He really emphasized on the unused resources and encouraged the participants to take advantage of their existence. He made a wakeup call to the participants to put up businesses and be their own bosses. He gave numerous advantages of ICT in line with vision 2030. It was in his humble request that the ReachUp! Program is implemented in Kericho West as they have already existing Resource Centers. He promised to mobilize the youths to attend the program.Mr. Chepkwony talked about the Youth Fund offered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which is a source of capital. He challenged the participants to be creative and choose priority opportunities that can generate income quickly instead of choosing projects that are already flooded in the market. He said the ministry is committed to helping the youths. He encouraged the participants put the knowledge they gained from the program in action.

Evans Mutai, a representative from Equity Bank addressed the issue of basic budgeting, wise spending, savings and bank services. He encouraged the youths to go for the Vijana- Biashara loan. He encouraged the participants to form groups and attend the financial literacy course offered by Equity free of charge.

Millicent Oyoo and Willis Mondon gave vote of thanks on behalf of the trained participants. They were the class representatives.Beatrice Madegwa, a participant conducted the closing prayers. She trained together with her two daughters.Mr. Daniel Ronoh issued the certificates and we also had photo sessions.

I really thank DOT for giving me an opportunity to serve my community." - Anne Akida