About Us & Governance | Youth Building in Synergy to end Poverty (YBSP Canada)

Charter Mandate

Our Mission & Core Values

Rooted directly in our federal Letters Patent and Articles of Incorporation under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.

Official Mission Statement

Youth Empowerment. Community Synergy. Poverty Alleviation.

"Youth Building in Synergy to end Poverty (YBSP Canada) mobilizes young people as active drivers of social and economic change. Grounded in our federal charter, our mission is to empower youth through mentorship, social entrepreneurship, and awareness on mental health and environmental stewardship, while fostering direct international solidarity to improve access to education, basic necessities, and sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable children and women in Canada and Burundi."

Collective Synergy

Uniting grassroots passion, diaspora knowledge, and Canadian community institutions.

Youth Agency

Centering youth as active architects of community solutions rather than passive aid recipients.

Direct Solidarity

Verifiable milestone-backed partnerships empowering vulnerable youth and women in Burundi.

Fiduciary Integrity

100% voluntary non-remunerated board governance, transparency, and federal compliance.

Operational Management

Executive Leadership Team

Responsible for day-to-day program delivery, operations, partnerships, and community engagement across Canada.

Executive Leadership

Leis Bruel Haragirimana

Founder & Executive Director

Leads overarching operational strategy, youth career mentorship cohorts, and bilateral cooperation with YBSP Burundi. Brings extensive professional experience in public sector enterprise resource management systems, business analysis, and non-profit administration.

Responsibility: Strategy, Operational Management & Bilateral Synergy

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Recruitment in Progress

Director of Finance & Administration

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Responsible for financial controllership, budgeting, statutory accounting standards under the Canada NFP Act, annual filing preparation, and grant expenditure tracking.

Responsibility: Financial Compliance, Accounting & Internal Controls

Executive Leadership

Benit Carolis Nikuza

Director of Programs & Youth Mentorship

Directs YBSP Canada's youth career mentorship cohorts, applied AI curriculum development, and participant outcome tracking across Canada. Brings strategic expertise in community development, educational program delivery, and youth empowerment frameworks.

Responsibility: Cohort Delivery, Curriculum & Youth Mentorship

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Recruitment in Progress

Director of Partnerships & Development

Head of Resource Mobilization

Directs institutional grant applications (federal, provincial), corporate sponsorship alliances with Canadian employers, and donor cultivation for youth initiatives.

Responsibility: Grant Development, Sponsorships & Major Giving

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Recruitment in Progress

Communications & Digital Media Lead

Public Relations & Media

Coordinates official bilingual storytelling, digital content, social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, X), press releases, and quarterly community dispatches.

Responsibility: Bilingual Communications, PR & Digital Reach

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Recruitment in Progress

Bilateral Projects Coordinator

Burundi Synergy Liaison

Manages operational communication with YBSP Burundi project leaders, monitoring delivery logs for vocational toolkits, school sponsorships, and women's cooperatives.

Responsibility: Cross-Border Projects, Milestone Audits & Liaison

Fiduciary Governance

Board of Directors

Pursuant to Section 8 of our Articles of Incorporation, our Board of Directors serves on a voluntary, non-remunerated basis, providing independent fiduciary oversight and approving annual budgets under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.

Board Director

Yves Dushimimana

Director & Community Liaison

Dedicated community organizer focused on grassroots civic mobilization, stakeholder partnerships, and youth engagement strategies across Canadian communities. Provides strategic oversight on community representation.

Governance Role: Community Engagement & Stakeholder Oversight

Board Director

Trésor Nishimwe

Director & Youth Empowerment

Brings valuable strategic experience in youth program development, mentorship frameworks, and non-profit administration. Participates in board oversight of programmatic integrity and statutory compliance under federal law.

Governance Role: Program Oversight & Committee Governance

Board Director

Eric Mayer

Independent Director & Audit Committee Chair

Serves on the Board of Directors in an independent fiduciary capacity, providing strategic oversight on statutory compliance, financial audit readiness, and non-profit risk management under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.

Governance Role: Independent Audit, Fiduciary Oversight & Risk Supervision

Statutory Records

Corporate Filings & Transparency

Public corporate records maintained with Corporations Canada under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.

Corporate Name	Youth Building in Synergy to end Poverty
Corporation Number	1154010-6
Business Number (BN)	779321272RC0001
Governing Legislation	Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (NFP Act) / Loi canadienne sur les organisations à but non lucratif (Loi BNL)
Date of Incorporation	July 29, 2019
Corporate Status	● Active / Non-Soliciting Non-Profit Corporation
Geographic Scope	National Scope across Canada • Headquartered in Canada
Board Composition	Minimum 3, Maximum 10 Directors (All Serving Without Remuneration)
Annual Regulatory Filings	Filed & In Good Standing with Corporations Canada

Bilateral Heritage

International Sisterhood with YBSP Burundi

YBSP’s roots began in Burundi in 2011. While YBSP Canada is an autonomous federal non-profit corporation, both entities share a common heritage, mission, and bilateral commitment to youth empowerment.

Through milestone-verified agreements, Canadian solidarity supports on-the-ground programs led by the local Burundian team: vocational starter equipment (#MurabireKazoza), school kit sponsorships for vulnerable children (#SororaIkaye), and women's economic solidarity cooperatives.

Visit YBSP Burundi Official Website (ybspburundi.org) ↗

Grassroots vocational training & youth solidarity in Burundi.