Eric celebrates 2 years with Grow Movement in Rwanda!

Eric Iyarmye

    Eric Iyaremye joined Grow Movement 2 years ago and has progressed to be our Country Manager for Rwanda. We selected a great candidate and have seem him flourish beyond any expectations we could have had. Well done Eric, the Grow team is proud of you!                              

"...A few weeks before my Graduation from the National University of Rwanda, back in 2003 I saw a job advert for Grow Movement through Generation Rwanda platform. I didn’t hesitate to apply! I was and I hope I still am quite a positive guy despite all this negative altitude amongst university graduates in Rwanda that there is no way you could get a job straight after college because of the experience requirements. Yes there is a truth in that but I had a couple of volunteering assignments while I was at university which gave me a slight advantage and a bit of luck..."

"...I remember I did three interviews; the second one was the most interesting. I am sure Violet who was Grow movement Country Manager then, a nice Lady and now a big friend of mine would agree that the last few minutes made a big difference on the final decision. By the way I won’t forget another Violet who was on the panel; she is the Country Director for DOT Rwanda, she smiled at me and said you are a smart boy, i will give you a job if Grow movement doesn’t hire you and I confidently said to her “I AM SURE THEY WILL HIRE ME” and yes Grow movement ended up hiring me. It was special because a call came from London when I was on my way back from Graduation ceremony at University..."

"...That was on Wednesday, I started the job on Monday the following week. When I stepped in the office, I didn’t know what to expect, it was a small office and everyone had a cup of coffee, it was not too strange because I was used to a ‘ Mzungo’  environment at Generation Rwanda. Violet gave me a warm welcome and a special induction week, I settled in pretty quickly and got in the job mood straight. Ever since I started the Job, it was great experience .Yes it can be one of those nerve wracking experiences given the fact that someone else’s actions determine your success and therefore you need to chase people  all day long but the skills i learned, the impact I make  cancel all the stress which give me a good feeling..."

"...I can’t believe it’s been two years already, i joined on 1^st, September 2013 and that’s why I am sharing this story. Claire Jenkins-Grow movement CEO has been extremely supportive; in fact I can write a piece of its own. Also I can’t forget to mention Jeremy Roebuck, an old volunteer, Grow Scotland Country Manager and My mentor. He did two projects in Rwanda and that’s was our initial bond. It’s one of those times where there are certain people you meet in life when you need them the most. I needed a mentor to help me deal with job challenges and Jeremy has been more that helpful in that capacity. We crossed professional line to develop personal relationship, he knows my career goals and he’s been advising me how to fulfill them. In fact, Jeremy and Claire have been helpful in my pursuit of a scholarship in UK which I am positive I will get. But one thing I’ve learned about Jeremy is that” Life is all about satisfaction”. Even if you make billions and you are not satisfied you will never be happy and that is priceless..."

"...In General, my time at Grow movement so far has been fulfilling, i met all kinds of people from a wide range of background but most importantly, i learned a lot about entrepreneurship and business environment in Rwanda which is critical because I aspire to do something of my own in the future. I can’t thank everyone enough, my Grow movement colleagues in Uganda and Malawi, as well as Educat staff members for all the support and Love. THANK YOU!!.."