It was on October 13, 1915, that the first-ever Junior Chamber International (JCI) Movement was started when 32 men joined to create from their hometown of St. Louis, USA the Young Men’s Progressive Association (YMPCA) at the Mission Inn. Henry Giessenbier Jr is the first man of this incredible journey. At the age of 18, he formed the Herculaneum Dance Club, a social and local outlet for the community’s youth. At that time, no one knew or even imagined that Henry was laying the foundation for what would become a global movement. Since 1915 Junior Chamber International JCI has aimed to inspire young people to recognise their responsibility to build a better world and empower them to create change. JCI is a global movement that challenges the status quo. With over 200,000 members worldwide, across 5,000 local chapters and located in 100+ countries, JCI is the leading nonprofit organization of responsible young citizens age 18 to 40 who prioritize the activities that will impact their communities. JCI is a group of young conscience and active citizens all over the world. Living, communicating, taking action and creating an impact in our communities. Productive citizens are people invested in the future of our world. JCI gathers active citizens from different sectors of society. We develop the skills needed, knowledge and understanding to make informed decisions and make impactful action.

It has been around nineteen years Junior Chamber International (JCI) working in Rwanda as part of other global communities. Since 2004, JCI Rwanda has aimed to improve the empowerment and the involvement of youth in various sectors of Rwanda’s social and economic development. This, in order to create a long term positive change. JCI Rwanda is a membership-based nonprofit organization of 1000 young people ages 18 to 40 working in the five provinces of Rwanda. Each JCI Member shares the same belief that to create lasting positive change; we must work hard to improve ourselves and our environment. We look for targeted solutions to the unique problems in our communities to build a greater world and make a global impact. We offer different opportunities to youth in leadership, entrepreneurship, networking and social responsibilities. Most of our activities are centered on young people in areas of personal development, business, internationalism and community development. We were successful in organizing training and workshops, conducting business plan competitions and empowering entrepreneurs, young professionals, graduates and university students to generate sustainable solutions within their respective communities.