RWANDA - GIRLS INITIATIVE

As the leaves on the trees in Seattle are beginning to change colors and we are settling into fall and a new school year, the girls at the Gashora Girls Academy are nearing completion of their first academic year.   It’s truly remarkable how quickly the time is flying by…  it seems like just yesterday that Soozi and I, along with friends from the U.S. and Rwanda, celebrated the opening of the school. 

Today, I’m pleased to give you a report card of the year to date and to share with you that not only are our students exceling in school, they are thriving! 

The girls are happy and healthy and exceeding their wildest dreams of academic success.  Peter Thorp, our Head of School, reported to us that the bar that was set for a passing grade would be 50 (in Africa, even at the most prestigious schools the passing mark is often as low as 30).  Guess what?  As of the end of the second term (the end of July), the school wide median GPA was 80.5!   It turns out that when the bar you set is high and you have enthusiastic, driven, bright young students, very often it is met or surpassed.  Peter is creating a culture of learning at the school with engaged faculty, well-supported students and eager volunteers that will continue to prove what we already suspected:  given the right environment, these girls will go on to soar and soon be the up and coming leaders of the wonderful country of Rwanda.

It has always been our desire to serve “the whole girl”… with nutritious meals, healthcare and plentiful opportunities to cultivate leadership skills and outside interests.   With the progress being made on our agricultural land, Gashora Girls Academy is enjoying beautiful, diverse kinds of produce and we are now sought out by some of the restaurants in Kigali eager to purchase high quality produce.  In addition, the girls have become empowered decision makers and assist in many aspects of the school through clubs such as debate, environment, computer, etc. 

We are so proud of the students and how hard they are working to reach their goals and strive for what we know is possible.  It has been quite a year and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for accompanying us on this journey and we sincerely hope you will continue along with us.  Like our students, we set the bar high for what we are trying to accomplish, but we are ever confident that with all of your support and encouragement, we too will meet and exceed the expectations!  Thank you so much.