Build a culture of literacy and Peace

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Members of our staff have been trained by TLC (Transformation Leadership Center) an NGO dedicated to empowering communities to promote education and peace by developing centers for literacy and learning for the children of Rwanda. REAP is working to build a culture of literacy and peace in Musha through our Early Childhood Development program and by reading aloud in our communities with our mobile library program.

We've moved on Twitter! Please follow us on our new handle @reap_rwanda

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Musha Alumni Association Launch

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Musha Alumni Association was open to the public for the first time. Among the guests were: World Connect representative and youth leaders at the district and the Sector level,and the community. The Musha Alumni Association presented their activities including a short film, a talent show and computer skills workshop.

Positive parenting workshop

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Today we conducted a workshop on positive parenting and child protection with 48 parents of our new students at Ineza Academy. Our goal is to enhance positive parenting and child protection which are important components of our Early Childhood development program.



Rwamagana District visits and commends INEZA Academy

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The Rwamagana District, through its health office, is inspecting early childhood centers with specific emphasis on health practices. For Musha Sector, REAP’s Ineza Academy was selected as a model program and the district team visited the center on January 9, 2023.

They appreciated and commended our integrated early childhood program that includes two hand-washing sinks, a proper kitchen, children's boiled drinking water, clean bathrooms and vegetable gardens. They further recommended that the Sector’s agronomist should replicate the vegetable gardens to all Cells (government level under the Sector) in the Sector.

REAP executive director visit

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Every year the REAP founder and executive director Ed Ballen comes to visit our centers in Rwanda.  Due to an almost 3 year absence from Covid, He returned to Rwanda for a visit.  He had the opportunity to see many of REAP’s programs, and witnessed the impact of the mobile library project, the production of student uniforms at our newly renovated community center Ihuriro, the Early Childhood Program, the nutrition feeding program, our public health program initiative, and our new science based reading program. The community expressed its deep gratitude to REAP with a sendoff celebration for Ed, occupied by poems, songs, and dances




REAP participates in a public event to prevent violence against women

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Every year from November 25 to December 10, communities around the world conduct various activities geared towards elimination of violence against women. 

For Rwamagana District, the inaugural event took place at Musha Sector on November 25, 2022 where two REAP’s student clubs were selected to entertain the audience and perform educational songs and skits about violence against women. One of the students in the clubs gave her own testimony where, at the age of 15, she was raped, impregnated and caught HIV. She urged youth to listen to their parents and say no to sugar daddies. 


Community Public Health outreach to prevent non-communicable diseases

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Through our partnership with University of Rwanda’s School of Nursing in Rwanda, we conduct community public health outreach every three months. The outreach focuses on prevention of non-communicable diseases, vaccination, and contraception. On 14 November 2022, World diabetes day, we tested for diabetes,blood pressure and vaccine hepatitis B vaccinations we are given. Our event attracted over 80 community members who received public health services.

Nutrition event

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As part of our early childhood program, we hold workshops for parents in the community to practice the cooking of balanced diets in order to fight malnutrition and stunting. On November 10th,2022, we brought together a team of specialists from Musha health Center and community health workers who worked with REAP staff to conduct the workshop.  REAP also gave 7 home based early childhood education center contribution called by the government '' Impamba y'umwana''.

REAP worked with the Musha Sector leadership to select 30 parents with their 36 children under the age of five. All parents were under the poverty line according to the national poverty categories. The workshop took place at the Ineza community center where parents used food supplies collected from their homes and cultivated  from our REAP farm to practice proper nutrition.Our executive director Edward Ballen and government officers served the meal to children as a gesture to join them.

Our Mobile Library Project Launches

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This 8th November2022, REAP’s mobile library project was launched in partnership with Rwanda BookMobile. Rwanda BookMobile donated 4 bikes and trained our four reading volunteers who rode their bikes to meet students at our partner school Duha complex school for read-aloud and storytelling sessions.

Activities included demonstrations of read-aloud, assisted reading, storytelling, and warm-up activities. The headteacher participated and thanked REAP for helping children develop a love reading.

International Day of The Girl Child

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October is the international month of the girl child. Rwanda’s theme of this year is “Our health, our dignity”. At REAP, our GLOW (Girls Lead Our World) club is focusing on girls’ empowerment activities including discussions on girls’ rights, gender-based violence, girls’ leadership and creating their own stories to highlight changes in their lives.

Inezigaba cooperative graduation!

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Twenty-two seamstresses in REAP-supported Inezigaba cooperative graduated after successfully completing a six-month training in cooperative and business management as well as tailoring. The tailoring focused on the making of school uniforms and reusable sanitary napkins. Among key participants was James Dragon, the Deputy Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Rwanda, several government leaders at district and sector level. The ceremony took place at Ihuriro Community Center, which was renovated as part of the project and serves as the workshop for the cooperative.