Date: April 27, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM–4:00 PM
Location: Kigali
Introduction
On April 27, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, the inaugural Orientation Meeting for Cohort-1 applicants of the GreenStars Capacity Building Program was held at Classic Hotel Kicukiro. Organized by the Green Starz Impakt Hub Ltd. (GreenStars). The event aimed to offer prospective participants in Kigali an overview of both the program and the organization. A significant number of applicants attended, indicating strong interest in the program. Among those present were nine (9) representatives from GreenStars, along with forty-five (45) interested applicants.
Meeting Summary
The meeting commenced around 2:30 PM with the moderator delivering opening remarks, after which the GreenStars team members introduced themselves through a presentation. Subsequently, an overview of the company’s background, vision, and mission was provided. The program’s objectives, structure, anticipated outcomes, and module breakdown followed the introduction. Attendees were actively encouraged to participate in an interactive dialogue, posing questions and seeking clarification throughout the presentations to better understand.
Purpose
The orientation meeting aimed to achieve two main objectives. Firstly, it aimed to explain the program’s framework and functioning to the applicants. Secondly, it provided an opportunity for the applicants to gain familiarity with GreenStars, including its objectives, operations, and plans. Additionally, the meeting sought to address any concerns regarding the program’s structure, payment, and recruitment procedures, and to provide clarifications on questions from potential applicants.
Points Discussed
1. Overview of the Company
The presenter provided an overview of GreenStars, highlighting its core components of research consultancy, capacity building, and climate resilience, while also discussing the company’s operations, revenue model, and rationale for integrating capacity building. Emphasizing the significance of the training capacity building program, they underscored its role in job creation and expert development, aligning with GreenStars’ aim of contributing to both national and global goals through skill enhancement and sustainable employment opportunities.
2. GreenStars Structure
The presenter discussed the organizational structure of GreenStars, highlighting key departments such as managers (Managing Director and Co-Founder), research consultancy, finance and HR, capacity building, and climate resilience.
3. About the Program
- Program introduction: The presentation primarily focused on outlining the objectives of the GreenStars Capacity Building Program. It commenced with an introduction emphasizing the program’s purpose and why GreenStars opted for this initiative. The program aims to equip participants with advanced research skills, addressing the demand for proficient research professionals in Rwanda. An analysis of prominent job search platforms revealed a notable number of research-related job postings, which informed this decision.
- Modules: Following this introduction, the presentation provided comprehensive explanations of each module, covering both quantitative and qualitative aspects.
- Duration: the presenter detailed the program’s duration, spanning 5–6 months, starting on June 1st, 2024. Weekend sessions are scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, except on Umuganda day, when sessions will run from 2:00 PM to 6:00 p.m.
- Venue: The venue aspect was then addressed, indicating that the program will be conducted at two campuses: Classic Hotel in Kigali and Ruhengeri Referral Hospital Teaching Room in Musanze district.
- Participation fee: Lastly, the financial team elaborated on payment details. The comprehensive fee for the six-month training is 300,000 RWF, with participants having the option to make monthly payments of 50,000 RWF. Additionally, a pre-training registration charge of 20,000 RWF is applicable, with 10,000 RWF covering the registration itself, and the remaining 10,000 RWF credited towards the training fee, reducing the total amount to 290,000 RWF.
4. Trainers’ profiles
During the meeting, considerable emphasis was placed on introducing the profiles of the program trainers, emphasizing their expertise and experience to instill confidence in attendees regarding the skills they would acquire from the program. Additionally, the presenter showcased profiles of five trainers, each specializing in a pivotal module. These modules included survey instrument development, statistical analysis tools like Stata, R, and Python, and qualitative methodologies.
5. Application Updates
During the meeting, the GreenStars recruitment team provided an update on the application process, disclosing that within the first two weeks of launching the application, a total of 314 submissions had been received. Notably, 68% of these applications came from Kigali, while 32% were from Musanze. Due to the unexpected surge in applications and considering the program’s capacity limit of 60 participants, they reiterated that recruitment operated on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees were strongly advised to promptly register, as once the target number of participants was reached, applications would be closed.
6. Discussion and Questions
After the presentations concluded, attendees actively participated in a discussion, raising numerous questions about different facets of the program. Topics of inquiry included certification procedures, the recruitment process, and the practical skills to be acquired through the program. Notably, a significant portion of the questions focused on the recruitment method, indicating a keen interest in understanding how participants would be selected for the program.
Conclusion
The meeting concluded with expressions of gratitude to the attendees for their active participation. It served as a valuable platform for information exchange, leading to a mutual understanding between GreenStars and the applicants.
Next Steps
The next steps for applicants were outlined, emphasizing the importance of prompt registration and payment of registration fees or the first month’s school fees. A deadline was set for completing registration. Additionally, the recruitment team announced plans to create communication channels specifically for registered participants, facilitating the easy and simultaneous dissemination of information. Further communication regarding the program’s commencement and additional details would be shared with applicants in due course.
End!