http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org Updated daily to provide up-to-date information. The Rwandan education system is in the midst of a transition from French to English, and for girls in the lower secondary grades, this is occurring in the middle of their schooling.  English skills are a critical element of a student’s ability to succeed academically.  Students must also be proficient in English in order to perform well on the national exam given in November, which determines which students will progress to secondary school.    The Gashora Community Center is now holding intensive English classes for middle school girls from the local community, in order to help them catch-up to the level of English needed to excel in their future studies.   With the support of a team of qualified English tutors and volunteers, 90 girls are wo... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/35 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/35 The team in Rwanda continues to make progress on the construction of the school, and we are on track to complete the buildings in time for the 2011 school year.  Here is a picture of the dorms in progress overlooking Lake Milayi - what a peaceful location to study science and technology! ... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/34 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/34 Rwanda Girls Initiative is thrilled to welcome Jim Bullock as our summer business development consultant.  He is headed to Rwanda this August to help RGI in a key aspect of our model: developing sustainable sources of funding for the Gashora Girls Academy.  He'll be looking into how much food RGI can grow on the school grounds in support of the school, while evaluating other potential sources of income. Jim is working with RGI through an exciting partnership with the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.   Jim has a background in electrical engineering and has worked on several major infrastructure projects in California and Arizona.   He is a Founding member of Gemini Tailored, a consumer products company dealing primarily with ... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/33 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/33 On May 19th, 500 villagers from Gashora gathered along with representatives of the local and national Rwandan government and other friends of Rwanda Girls Initiative to dedicate the recently completed community center, “Urumuli rwa Gashora,”  the Light of Gashora.  As the ribbon was cut and the crowd entered the building, everyone was so excited to see this pivotal piece of RGI’s vision made a reality: a place for the people of Gashora to gather for meetings and celebrations, a true bridge between the Gashora Girls Academy and the surrounding community.  Soon classes will begin in agricultural techniques, English literacy, nutrition, and bike repair (specifically requested by the women’s cooperative).   Several groups from lo... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/32 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/32 By Peter Thorp, Head of School, Gashora Girls Academy Kigali, Rwanda, 29 May, 2010 08:00 hours   Today is umuganda, the last Saturday of every month when everyone in the country is required to stop and participate in community work from 8:00-noon.  I’m told even President Kagame can be spotted occasionally, helping with neighborhood cleanup.  Saturday is typically the busiest market day, but this morning all stores and businesses are closed, and the usually jammed streets are empty save a very few vehicles whose drivers better have a good excuse if they’re stopped by the police.  I spot a few families working in the corn and sorghum fields that surround our housing development, and others sweeping by the side of the road.  Umuganda keeps Rw... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/31 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/31 The construction team is putting the roof on the community center, as we are nearing completion of the building.     We are eager for the opening of the community center in May.  On our trip to Rwanda in January, it was so thrilling to stand inside the building and imagine all of the life that will fill it soon…children coming to play basketball, families attending nutrition classes, local people attending English classes, farmers learning how to improve their yield… Rwanda Girls Initiative In-Country Director Maria Bwakira is hard at work engaging the community and overseeing the project.  Maria met with women at a Gashora weaving cooperative to discuss how the Community Center could support them – through training, a pla... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/7 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/7 Rwanda Girls Initiatives friends and supporters gathered for a spectacular evening on March 13, 2010. We were thrilled and humbled by the generosity of those who attended – the event raised over $700,000 in support of the Gashora Girls Academy! A few highlights were the traditional Rwandan dancing and food, a beautiful atmosphere and powerful words spoken by Senator Inyumba from Rwanda. Senator Inyumba spoke movingly stating “if you educate a girl, you are in essence educating a nation”.       One of the most memorable moments of the evening was listening to Emilie Uwase, a fifteen year old student who is living in Tacoma on a full scholarship attending Annie Wright. She was darling and made two comments which really ... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/8 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/8 On Dec 7th, Nicholas Kristof spoke about the central moral challenge of our time, gender equality, to 1000 people at the Overlake School. At a Global Service Fair prior to his speech, Kristof met RGI founders Shal Foster and Soozi McGill, who spoke to many of those in attendance about the power of educating girls and their vision for the Gashora Girls Academy. Kristof made a strong case for the “virtuous spiral of educating girls” – citing the significant and long-lasting payoff as educated girls invest in their families, communities, and the education of their own children. “If you want to address global poverty, the most cost effective way of doing that is to invest in girls’ education and bring women into the workforce.” Rwanda Girls In... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/5 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/5 Co-Founders Shal and Soozi were invited to speak at the Goldman Sachs NextGeneration conference in Half Moon Bay.  They spoke about the inspiration to found the Gashora Girls Academy, and their journey so far to make the idea a reality.  Shal and Soozi were encouraged by the interest of those in attendance, and delighted for the opportunity to engage others in the pursuit of reducing poverty through educating girls. ... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/3 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/3 RGI celebrated its official launch at an event in early June with a very distinguished guest, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.  Maria Eitel, President of the Nike Foundation, spoke about the need for girls’ education and empowerment, and the high return on investment that comes from educating girls.   President Kagame addressed the importance of educating and engaging the young women of Rwanda, noting that women make up over half the population in Rwanda and “we will not meet our development goals if over half the population is not engaged.” ... http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/6 http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/article/article_detail/6