RWANDA - GIRLS INITIATIVE

On my first visit to the site of Gashora Girls Academy, I was standing next to Daniel, a youthful Rwandan physician who is developing nurse training programs in the country, and as we looked out over the fields toward the lakeshore, he turned to me and said “Peter, this school will be an island of hope for the girls of Rwanda.” Daniel and so many other Rwandans I met all share an unwavering feeling of hope for their country, and I came away both honored and humbled to have been given the opportunity to contribute to their dreams for their country.

As schools are, ultimately, a collection of stories, so, too, do nations have stories to tell, and no nation’s story is more compelling than Rwanda’s. From the ashes of the genocide of 1994 has arisen a country that is as promising as any African country, yet educational opportunities for girls remain limited. President Paul Kagame understands the need. “We will not meet our development goals if over half the population is not engaged.” The need is great, and, happily, we can anticipate a high rate of return on our investment. The combination of national stability, strong leadership, a commitment to the education of women, and a reservoir of eager young woman who are hungry to learn bodes well for the success of Gashora Girls Academy.

GGA’s mission is to help Rwanda realize its promise by educating, inspiring, and transforming its young woman to be the future entrepreneurs, family and community leaders of a country, which already is distinguished by having the highest percentage of women in its government of any nation in the world. To accomplish our mission we will focus on program, people and place. Our program will prepare the girls both to pass the rigorous national examination and to be well-rounded, healthy and contributing citizens. Of course what defines a school is its people—the staff at Gashora Girls Academy will be comprised of both international and Rwandan teachers, and our students will come from every district in the country. From such diversity we will discover what we all have in common, an understandably important focus in a country that was destroyed by ethnic strife just a generation ago. Finally, we will be living and working in a special place—on the shores of beautiful Lake Milayi about an hour south of the capital, Kigali. Our focus will be both internal—most importantly the girls will need to concentrate on their studies—and external as well, as the Community Center will serve the villagers of Gashora sector.

I am proud to be associated with the Rwanda Girls Initiative. Soozi and Shal, the co-founders of RGI, have done an amazing job of cultivating connections to the educational and political leaders of Rwanda, as well as shepherding the purchase of the land and the construction that is well underway. Over the next several years all of us who are, and will be, part of the Gashora Girls Academy team are committed to making this a model school for the people of Rwanda. They deserve nothing less.

Sincerely,

Peter Thorp

Head of School