Discovering The Successful Rwanda Education Assistance Project

By Virginia Jackson


Charity and education often go hand in hand. As such, the Rwanda Education Assistance Project is at the forefront of providing help to Rwandan children. The group works to help boys and girls work to develop skills which can lead to a number of different careers. While this is the case, the assistance could not be provided if not for the many donors and volunteers who make the work possible.

The mission and vision of the group at the time included creating a vibrant future while enriching the environment of local and rural communities. Through these efforts, the group has been able to educate and prepare children to become responsible adults and productive citizens. As a result, many of these children go on to become active in education, politics and religion.

While in school, children participate in an educational environment which encourages students to become compassionate leaders, critical thinkers and active problem solvers. After which, it is hoped that the educational instruction received will provide new opportunities with regards to the students and the community at large.

The organization began this work in 2006 when Rachel Ballen and father, Edward, traveled to Rwanda as volunteers. While volunteering at an orphanage, the two took note of the number of learning activities in relation to skills used in trade. After which, the two also took note of the local public school and food distribution center which sat quite close to the orphanage.

The main commitment at the time the work started was to harvest the skills each child learned and highlight those skills to the local community. In that time, there was a great deal going politically in the area. As such, volunteers had to overcome a number of challenges and obstacles while working in the area. For, not long before the organization began work, the area had suffered from a long period of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

As the orphan children attend the local complex school, the school was the best option for an operation center for the project. In the process, the organization discovered that by focusing on the local community and surrounding area, the students could demonstrate the skills which had been learned as part of the program. In addition, as many of these children were orphans, it would also show that regardless of economic or social status, even the poorest and most vulnerable could learn in ways to become a product citizen.

Since inception in 2008, the organization has made a great deal of progress when it comes to educational programs and projects in Rwanda. For example, there are a number of student groups, student learning programs, a school feeding program and teacher accommodations. Whereas, there has also been a number of enhancements to the school library along with computer training and collaborative partnerships.

The proof is somewhat sufficient that REAP has been a beneficial program in Rwanda and the surrounding area. While this is the case, without the support of donors, volunteers and project leaders, this would have never been the case. It is hoped that there will now be new project leaders, volunteers and financial donors so that the work can continue now and well into the future.




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