The journey so far

From the start our purpose was to relieve the burden of poverty and suffering in the south west region of Rwanda.

In the aftermath of the earthquake in 2008 we re-housed over 50 families.

Recognising that in this area the majority of families survived on subsistence farming, we developed a training programme designed to help the families farm their small plots of land more productively.

To date we have trained over 2,000 families who are now able to eat better, afford health insurance and equip their children for school.

We have encouraged the development of livestock and have given more than 1,000 animals, the first offspring of which are passed on to other families.

Important as these interventions have been, we shared the Rwandan government’s conviction that this small, hilly, densely populated country could not depend simply on an economy based on agriculture.

We determined to support quality education for all.

To date we have built 72 new classrooms to the UNICEF child friendly standard. We replaced old, wooden structures with brick-built airy classrooms.

With these classrooms we have built 14 toilet blocks and washrooms. We replaced unsanitary toilets with safe facilities and improved provision.

Whilst accepting the importance of well-appointed and well-equipped classrooms, it is vital that these are staffed by good quality teachers. This is why we have initiated and developed an in-service training programme.

To date we have trained 250 school-based mentors benefiting more than 750 teachers and over 35,000 schoolchildren.

We have also promoted vocational training by building a centre on Nkombo Island and sponsoring over 1,000 students.

Determined to help students convert the knowledge and skills they have acquired into income generation we have supported over 30 enterprise groups with over 1,000 beneficiaries.

In all that we do we have been determined to include those on the margins of society.

We built and ran a centre for street children called Baho Neza Mwana, which is Kinyarwanda for a good life for children.

The centre supported 214 boys on a short-term residential basis, 85 boys on a “day” programme and 118 girls with training until its closure in December 2020. We have built on the success of this approach and our emphasis is now on identifying vulnerable families and working with them in their communities to avoid children having to live on the streets.

We have supported a centre for children with disability, which has provided residential support for over 400 children many of whom have been able to access mainstream schooling.