Jenpu Rongmei is the Founder & Chief Functionary of ‘Can Youth’, a youth-led NGO based in Dimapur, Nagaland.
Can Youth’s motto is “Let’s give hope” where their mission is to capacitate the underprivileged and disadvantaged children, adolescents and youth by empowering and developing in education, health, skill building and livelihood.
He is a recipient of Excellence Award 2018 conferred by Mahatma Gandhi University, Meghalaya and also a recipient of Maja Koene Social Activist Award 2015 conferred by Centre for Experiencing Socio-Cultural Interaction (CESCI), an International organization based in India and Germany. He was also conferred the True Legend Award by The Telegraph in 2016, Nagaland Carpet Social Award in 2019 by Findz Studio.
Here is Mokokchung Times getting to know Jenpu and his organization more closely.
MTimes: Can you tell us at what age you decided that you will start ‘Can Youth’? Kindly walk us through the initial stage of the organization and how you overcame the various challenges you faced.
Jenpu: I decided at the age of 25 but it finally happened at the age of 27. Can Youth was started with the name of Youngs’ club in memory of my brother Late David Rongmei (babuna) who died of drugs. My childhood was as usual as other kids living in a dreamland, playing around, roaming around but as I became a teenager, I realized the environment I lived in was tough. My father was an alcoholic without a job and mom became a victim of domestic violence. The condition of our family forced my brother and I to drop out from school.
This frustrated my younger brother and fall into drug abuse. He wanted to change his life and I promised to take care of him and send him to rehab but the promise remained unfulfilled because he passed away.
The death of my brother urged me to do something for the young people who are undergoing similar situations and problems and that were how the idea of Can Youth came up. I wanted to spread the message to young people living in frustration that there is another life, a life of hope, a life of giving your meaningful life to someone who needs help.
It was a tough journey starting an organization without any resources but I dearly remember those close friends of mine and cousins who encouraged and supported me to go ahead with my dreams.
Still it was challenging because I was poor. The society often talked about how Jenpu started this organization to earn money by taking advantage of my dead brother. So, the bigger challenge was not finance but the tag they put on my head such as money opportunist, fraud, poor and useless fellow.
But I overcame all those by the Grace of God. I motivated myself with my past. I know how much I struggled, I know the loss of my brother, I feel the pain and tears of my mother and my other siblings, I can see that the same pain and struggling in a lot of young people, people say, forget the past, but for me past is my biggest strength as it motivates me to go ahead.
Another person who inspired me was Father Jerry, Director of Bosco Institute, Jorhat. When the world was not against me, he was the one to come and tell me the three words ‘I trust you’. For others, this word might be very normal and simple but for me it was a tool of strength because at that time, I was longing for those words and someone who can believe in my work.
MTimes: You have put every inch of your heart and soul in Can Youth; and have seen it grow. However, I feel that a movement like this needs wider participation and recognition. How would you like to appeal for more support either by work or by financial assistance?
Jenpu: Honestly, recognition is very much important. It’s a gesture of solidarity to people who are really working on the ground and it motivates us to continue with the good work but I would like to say that people’s participation is very much needed to create a meaningful impact in a society. It’s the people who need to empower and take ownership for positive development of human resources. If you work with a clear vision and mission then automatically there are people who will support you financially.
My appeal will be that we need more people to take part in our social sector organization by offering their service based on their skills and yes, finance is needed but I want people to visit us, know our work and then contribute in whatever they can.
MTimes: You really had a tough life growing up. Would you agree that poverty is one of the reasons that push people to do drugs and alcohol? How would you guide someone who could be in a similar situation now as you were before?
Jenpu: Yes, I would say poverty is also one of the reasons which lead people into anti-social activities; another reason is also the environment we are living in. Even if you are poor if the people in your environment is good and helps one another than you are in a right place.
For young people who have a similar life to my past, the first thing is to give my ear and attention because these days it is hard to share our feelings to people. Like they say, “people listen to respond to you, not to understand you”.
The first step of guiding is to do self assessment and to understand their interest, what they are lacking, and the problem they have. Second is to provide them a support based on their needs which comes from the assessment; third is to engage with their parents, guardians or families in the process of making their children come out from the situation (it is a must for the families to know about the process of helping their children); fourth is to offer support not only in terms of financial or job but to build strong connection which make them feel that they are not alone. The most important is to make them accept that failure is a part of life and we can learn so many things from the failure- this is very important because in our society, we have been only taught how to succeed but forget to taught how to learn and rise from failures, we have forget to taught the acceptance of failures.
MTimes: Is Can Youth run only by charity and donation?
Jenpu: Can Youth organization runs through well wishers, community in terms of material support and Project Funding agency.
MTimes: When does the organization plan to expand across every district in Nagaland?
Jenpu: So far, no plan for the expansion of the organization’s office but yes, we have already worked in some districts related to our programs like Mon, Wokha, Kohima, Kiphire and Peren. Currently we are in the process to work at Tseminyu and Noklak district.
MTimes: As someone who had gone through the worst of times even to the extent of thinking to end one’s life, how do you look back at your journey?
Jenpu: I would say that whatever happens in my life was for a reason, every journey has a stumbling, failure, and many others but it’s up to us whether we rise and walk again or give up and I chose to walk because one thing I had in my mind was that I will not let my less qualification, failure and poverty decide my fate. I love my journey despite many things that happened in my life.
MTimes: What will be the priority of the organization in the next five to ten years?
Jenpu: Honestly speaking, in the next 5 to 10 years, I would like to see the role of ownership taken by the community for the development of human resources; another priority is to set up learning centres at least in 5 districts.
MTimes: A message for our readers please.
Jenpu: Communicate with people to understand, share your ideas and strength to give hope as Communication and sharing is a best gift to humankind by God.
Celebrate the life of young people, celebrate their passion and dreams, and don’t use them as a tool of violence and hatred.