Coping with the COVID-19: supporting our staff and our community

Amidst the novel coronavirus outbreak that is shaking the world, people all over the world are standing in solidarity with their neighbors and exploring new ways of being.
However, the outbreak is having a disproportionately devastating effect on middle and low-income populations—especially in countries such as Rwanda— where the unemployment rate is already 18.8% and 49.2% of the labor force are engaged in casual occupations (those that pay hourly or per diem at best).
We don’t need to reiterate the fact that the closure of all non-essential businesses and organizations, with the aim of slowing the spread of the virus, has had many unintended economic consequences.

As an organization, we value our human resources above all else and commitment to our community is at
the core of our operations. In order to support our staff during this lockdown, REAP has committed to continue paying our team members their full salaries, even those who cannot work from home. We have also mobilized to donate the produce from our farm to families with the greatest need in Musha. Last Monday, 16 families from Musha received vegetables from our farm and we hope to donate to at least 20 more with the next harvest.

In the pictures:

Our Community Organizers, Briget and Jerome, and Emmanuel Karemera (President of our Community Board) collect the food supplies and deliver them to Musha Sector Office.

US Ambassador to Rwanda Visits the Community Library and Learning Center

The opening of INEZA Academy has been full of excitement and, most recently, REAP had the honor of hosting Ambassador Peter Vrooman, the US Ambassador to Rwanda, on his second visit to our Community
Library and Learning Center in Musha, Rwanda.
He read with second graders in our student literacy club and spent some time interacting with our nursery students. In addition, the ambassador donated children’s books and soccer balls to the CLCL. The ambassador and his delegation were impressed by the our literacy programming and the other services offered at the CLCL. We look forward to future collaboration with this passionate team!

INEZA Academy Opens!

Joyful smiles are seen on the faces of parents as they walk to drop their toddlers to the new, and only,
early childhood program in the Akabare community. Conveniently located, (near the Duha School, the Akabare Cell office and the vibrant Akabare neighborhood), the INEZA Academy is easily accessible.
In addition to the modern classroom and supplies, parents were drawn to the program because of the
English speaking teachers, consideration of nutrition, and the parent development
component (hosted by REAP and implemented through a partnership between Save the Children and the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda).
“To me and my husband, INEZA Academy is more than just a nursery school, it’s like a
second home to my 3-year-old son who will fetch literacy skills, a wholesome meal and all of that in
safe hands.” said Leonille Mukanyandwi, parent of an INEZA pupil.
As an organization, starting INEZA Academy has strengthened our relationship with the
community because it is a community-initiated program.

Recipient of US State Department Grant for INEZA Academy Programming

Lat year, our Country Director, Jean Paulin Mutatsineza, visited Washington DC to participate in the Mandela
Washington Fellowship Summit. After learning about the Mandela Washington Fellowship’s Reciprocal Exchange program Jean Paulin began collaborating on a grant application with Isabel Taswell, a graduate student at Bankstreet’s School of Education, to support the establishment of INEZA Academy, a model early childhood development program at REAP’s Community Learning Center and Library in
Musha, Rwanda. We were selected as recipients at the end of 2019.
The grant allowed Isabel to travel to Rwanda and conduct professional development training for REAP staff. Expanding our programming meant that we needed to expand our skillset!
The training covered classroom organization, socio-emotional development, literacy and play-based learning. Additionally, monthly follow-up Skype sessions will allow INEZA Academy staff to share their practical feedback with Isabel as they apply the theory.

Isabel Taswell and jean paulin mutatsineza, Country director

Country Director, Mutatsineza, attends Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit

Founded by President Obama in 2014, the Mandela Washington Fellowship
(MWF) is a flagship program of US Government’s Young African Leaders
Initiative (YALI). The MWF brings between 500 and 1000 African leaders to the US every year for a six-week program that focuses on developing leadership for those who show promise in business, entrepreneurship, public management and civic engagement. 

Fellows are paired with partner universities for six weeks and the seventh week of the program features a summit in Washington, D.C. allowing fellows an opportunity to network with one another and meet top US government officials. Upon return to their communities, fellows are expected to apply their
training. REAP’s Country Director, Jean Paulin Mutatsineza, is one of the six Rwandans fellows, selected in 2015. In 2016, he was awarded a grant through the same program to renovate the Girls’ Room (in day schools in Rwanda these are rooms where menstruating girls can rest and access sanitary supplies and pain medication) at the Duha Complex School. The US ambassador to Rwanda, Erica Barks Ruggles, inaugurated the Girls’ Room at the Duha School. Jean Paulin’s active involvement in the transformation of the
school community through MWF earned him the trust of other fellows and he was voted President of Rwanda’s YALI Alumni Association.
Alongside the other Alumni leaders, Jean Paulin was invited by USAID to represent the Alumni at the MWF Summit in August 2019 to meet potential funders and partners on behalf of the association and REAP.
During his three-week stay in the US, Jean Paulin was able to meet with potential partner organizations, REAP board and staff among many others. The trip allowed Jean Paulin to connect physically and intellectually with collaborators of the present and future.

Girls' Basketball Champions!

In 2017, REAP and Duha Complex School came together to make the students’ dreams a reality- a basketball court was installed at the school and sponsored by REAP!

The girls of Duha Complex School came together to form a basketball team and one of the teachers volunteered to coach the team. The team trained for the year in preparation for the 2019 Championship.
The Duha School was selected to host the annual tournament since it is the first day school in the entire district to install a standard basketball court.

The Rwamagana District contains 77 schools and the Duha School placed first in the tournament after defeating the reigning champions, who held the title for three years in a row.
In addition to supporting physical health and building community within the school, sports give opportunities to enroll in schools of excellence with sports scholarships. Before the basketball team was formed, handball was a popular sport at the school. Over the years, 40 girls have been recipients of sports scholarships to schools of excellence and many have gone on to university.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Students travel to Kigali for NABU Expo

Through our partnership with NABU, an international nonprofit that creates online libraries in native languages, REAP’s CLCL was selected to participate the launch of NABU’s iOS version of the online library.
Officials and staff from NABU joined 24 students, parents and REAP staff in a reading session to officially launch the iOS app early this month. The following week, ten students from our community traveled to the Kigali Convention Center to showcase their digital literacy in front of more than 300 people. The event was attended by the Director of Rwanda Education Board and the Director of Kigali Public Library. Students
received prizes from NABU for their brave and skillful presentation before such an intimidating audience. For most of our students, it was the first time they travel by car and their first trip to the capital.

Due to a generous donation from Leman Manhattan Preparatory School, the CLCL has 35 iPads available for the community to access this new app.

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Give the Gift of a Healthy Start

Support the development of REAP’S Early Childhood Development Center

We can't speak about gratitude without first expressing ours. Thank you for supporting Rwanda Education Assistance Project across the seasons and throughout our evolution!

And thank you for considering us for this year's Giving Tuesday contributions.

This year your gift will support the implementation of our Early Childhood Development program for toddlers in rural Musha. Our goal is to create a high quality learning environment that offers peace of mind to parents, community support to families and a place for children to develop confidence.

Digging Into the Program!

Instruction in Kinyarwandan & English

Our youngest community members will benefit from instruction in Kinyarwandan, as required by the National Curriculum, and English. We believe that working together results in a stronger organization and community, on a micro and macro level. Introducing our youngest community members to English sets them up to succeed in our advanced programming and in the world at large.

Community Investment

We believe families and care providers are unique and we strive to understand, appreciate and support each individual's socio-emotional needs. In the spirit of service, parents are expected to contribute to the program by hosting other parents in their home for home-based parenting modules on topics of nutrition, emotional support and supporting literacy in the home. Parents also commit to attending Parent Evenings at the INEZA Community Learning Center and Library for the duration of their child's enrollment.

Quality 

In Rwanda, the typical student to teacher ratio in a nursery program is 40 to 1. By decreasing the standard class size we can offer a sustainable classroom structure and a learning environment that is conducive to social and emotional growth.

Skill Building with Girl Guides

REAP is currently engaged in a mutually supportive partnership with Rwanda’s Girl Guides. One of our shared goals is to help young women develop skills that allow them to step into income-generating power. Through this partnership, twenty of our Girl Guides are involved in a six-month sewing training program at the CLCL in which the girls are learning about garment creation and alteration. (The Girl Scouts at Leman Manhattan donated two sewing machines for this special project.)

Once the training is complete, the girls will undertake projects such as making toys and uniforms for REAP’s Early Childhood Development Center, slated to open next year (more info to come on this initiative).

500 Books for Our Library!

REAP is a registered member of the Rwanda Education NGOs Coordination Platform (RENCP), a national platform that brings together more that 100 educational nonprofits. As an active member of the RENCP, REAP hosted the coalition’s members, a couple of months ago. The organizations were impressed by REAP’s literacy and community development programs. To convey their support, Save the Children selected REAP out of all the organizations in Rwamagana and donated 500 Kinyarwanda (native language) storybooks to our children. In addition to the books, REAP and Save the Children will collaborate to promote the culture of reading in the Musha Community through the Mureke Dusome Project (Let’s Read Project) which aims to form, equip, train and facilitate reading clubs in the community.

READING IN ONE’S NATIVE LANGUAGE BOOSTS SELF-CONFIDENCE.

One year anniversary of the Community Learning Center and Library

Last year, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the organization. And this summer, celebration was in order again. July 2019 marked the first anniversary of our Community Learning Center and Library, which serves the Musha sector, and more specifically, approximately 14,000 people. Many of our services cater to those who subsist under the poverty line in a effort to bolster self-confidence and economic creativity. The center has become a thriving community hub with multiple programs operating at capacity. We offer educational enrichment for children, access to preventative healthcare for pregnant mothers and small children, modern farming workshops, programs aimed at developing gender equality, adult literacy and technology.

Check out photos of our community here:

A gathering of Girl Guides

This club is devoted to developing leadership, reproductive health and entrepreneurial skills

Women's savings cooperative

Student Leadership Club

Parenting group

Adult Kinywarwanda Literacy

Certificate of completion awarded by the Sector Education Officer

Adult English Literacy

Strategic Planning Retreat

REAP Rwanda Board President, REAP Literacy specialist, REAP Community Board President

Support Rwanda Education Assistance Project Today on Amazon!

If you shop on Amazon, you can support REAP’s work while you shop! If you make a Prime purchase on July 15 AND have REAP set as your charity of choice then you can shop and make a difference at the same time. To make REAP your charity of choice go to smile.amazon.com and follow the directions below:

On your computer 🖥 : Go to “Your Account” at the top of the page and select the option to “Change Your Charity” and search for RWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROJECT.

From your phone 📱:

• Go to the bottom of the page and select the “Change Your Charity” option. Search for RWANDA EDUCATION ASSISTANCE PROJECT.

• Once you’ve added us, you can shop for all of your monthly essentials like toilet paper, laundry soap or socks. You can also take the time to order a a gift for someone special! No matter how you shop, you will be showing your dedication to education and community.

Thanks for the support!

Rwamagana District Open Day

Every year, Rwamagana District invites its development partners to a three-day Open Day. The Open Day is an expo of sorts — an opportunity for partners of all types (NGOs, forprofit organizations, businesses, and cooperatives) to showcase their products, services, and programs to the general public. It is also a great resource for networking between the private and public sector as well as the government.

This year, REAP participated alongside 65 NGOs for Open Day. Visiting REAP's booth, the District Mayor was impressed by the quality and quantity of free programming the INEZA Community Learning Center and Library has provided to the local community — only a year after the center’s official opening! Specifically, he commended the lunch program REAP funds at the Duha Complex School.

At the end of the Open Day festivities, REAP was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Mayor himself.

Internet for the CLCL

In July 2018, Rwanda Education Assistance Project opened a new Community Learning Center and Library in Musha, Rwanda. The CLCL offers free educational programming for children, as well as free programming for parents. Our programs encompass:

English and Kinyarwanda Literacy
Basic health services
A community garden that supports our nutrition program
A Library Server (digital encyclopedia downloaded at the time of construction)

Since opening, attendance at the CLCL has soared and we are operating at full capacity each day. REAP's goal is to provide the community with access to current information and to support positive and intentional engagement in a democratic society. Our belief is that true enrichment is obtained through equitable access to various points of view, community service (known as Umuganda), and hands-on learning.

That is why we are raising money to bring Internet access to the CLCL! Internet access will enrich learning for students and offer greater research opportunities for our teachers, and for educators at the local Duha Complex School.

Additionally, it would facilitate better communication between the REAP team in Rwanda and in the US.

This campaign is designed to raise enough money to provide the Community Learning Center and Library with three years of Internet access.

- Purchase of a router ($300)
- Installation fee ($57)
- Internet access fee ($2,400/year)
- Three laptops for use at the CLCL ($3,000)

We want to raise these funds by June 2019, and we need your help to reach our goal. Donate today!

Thank you for your commitment to Rwanda Education Assistance Project and to equitable access to education.

Families that read together...

On the International Day of Families, REAP joins the Musha community and other stakeholders - our local government, nearby schools and other educational NGOs - in celebration. REAP uses the holiday to promote literacy as a catalyst for the socio-economic development of families, and thus, of the nation at large. We use interactive components, such as storytelling, community readings, and games illustrating Rwandan proverbs, to illustrate how family literacy activities can be fun and create stronger family bonds.

This year, to build the motivation of the community and to promote the International Day of Families, REAP organized a reading and read-aloud competition. Community members came to the library to practice reading and then gathered children in their neighborhoods to read stories to them. Winners of the competition received literacy-based prizes (such as a copy of their favorite book) and were able to demonstrate their reading before the live audience on May 15.

Mothering the Mother

The field of early childhood development is rife with research establishing direct links between nutrition and children’s cognitive development. Furthermore, it has been shown conclusively, that the critical period of brain development is age zero to three.  

At REAP, we understand that proper prenatal care and adequate nutrition for children are necessary support for the neurological and physical development of our future. In short, it sets children up for a good start on their path of education.

With this at the foundation, we started our monthly prenatal and early childhood development program. Pregnant mothers and mothers of children under five gather at our Center to learn about parenting and nutrition – both in theory and in practice. In addition to the workshops, nurses from Musha Health Center provide services such as vaccinations, family planning and vitamins.

Yesterday, REAP hosted 12 women in the first of these workshops (4 currently pregnant and 8 mothers of babies under five months of age). The mothers invested their time in learning about the importance of a balanced diet, cooked a meal, and ate — together. To make a complete meal, the families contribute food supplies such as bananas, potatoes and fish while REAP contributes vegetables from our garden. Parents are invited to attend until their children turn five and begin school. There is an opportunity for data collection and comparison here through a longitudinal study that compares academic and social-emotional performance of our participants’ children to the that of children who did not go through our program. If you are interested in funding, or running, a study of this sort please contact us for collaboration.

Remembering in Musha

In April 1994, Rwanda was devastated by the world’s most brutal genocide where, in under three months, over a million Tutsis were brutally put to death by Hutu extremists. Even 25 years after the genocide, the scars of survivors are physical and psychological.

Every year in April, Rwanda commemorates the tragedy with community building activities and events like walks of remembrance, community-wide discussions, commemoration nights, and the provision of socio-economic support to survivors.

As a member of the Musha Community, REAP of course took part in the 25th Tutsi Genocide commemoration. On April 12, the REAP team walked from the INEZA Community Learning Center and Library and joined the entire community in a walk down to the Musha mines, a site where an estimated 5,200 Tutsis were killed and buried — all of them from Musha area.

After talks and testimonies at the site, the REAP team joined the District officials and the larger community at Musha Genocide memorial for a commemoration night.

The 25th Commemoration emphasized the mantra “Remember, Unite, Renew”, which summarizes the need for continued reconstruction of the country through its community-oriented socio-economic programming, with a special focus on family union and wellbeing as the foundation of a peaceful society. This is also at the core of REAP’s beliefs and practices and our staff are honored to represent this mission each day.

REAP Hosts a Learning Consortium!

REAP, as a member of the Rwanda Education NGOs Coordination Platform (RENCP), was selected to host a learning visit for the other community-oriented NGOs of the coalition. Eight NGOs, including Save the Children and Wellspring Foundation, spent the day observing and learning from REAP’s stellar educational programming. 

Our Community Learning Center and Library was selected to host this consortium though we have only been open seven months! We are extremely flattered and proud of the effort that our educators pour into the programs.

Amongst other commendations, the group appreciated REAP's integrated model of community education and development as well as strong collaboration with the government and other NGOs. One of the member organizations was particularly interested in collaborating with REAP through our garden project. We are looking forward to creating a mutually beneficial relationship with another one of our neighbors and will be sure to share updates!

REAP and Girl Guides Rwanda: Supporting Female Leadership and Empowering Girls in Musha!

With the aim to continuously foster the empowerment of women, REAP has formalized a collaborative relationship with Rwanda’s Association of Girl Guides (AGR).

AGR is an international nonprofit working to enable girls, and young women, to acquire skills leading to their development and autonomy and to become agents of positive change as responsible citizens. As part of the collaboration, AGR uses REAP’s Community Learning Center and Library to conduct a ten month training for fifty young girls, ages 6 to 18—all hailing from Musha. This training has been designed to equip the young Rwandans with leadership skills, life skills, and tools for social as well as civic engagement. In the course of the training, the girls are expected to conduct practical projects in the community to showcase their skills and leadership.

On Wednesdays, the Girl Guides’ weekly meeting and activities are lead by REAP staff members.

Jérôme Kayiranga and a Community-driven Model of Sustainable Farming

Behind the success of our fruit and vegetable garden at the Community Learning Center and Library stands Jérôme, the village leader of the last three years, who is also trained as an agronomist. Jérôme has committed himself to bi-weekly community service with REAP where he supervises small teams of community members and demonstrates modern farming techniques. This past season, our half acre garden was producing in surplus! The abundant, crisp cabbages and fresh green peppers were able to be sold to local schools for mealtimes.

This means REAP and its dedicated volunteers are on track to meet our goal of self-financing the agriculture programming, and generating income with agriculture sales by 2020. Through a combination of vegetable sales, and community service, we have been able to make leaps forward toward financial self-sufficiency. In the near future, the garden has the capability to contribute its profits to the cost of running REAP’s Community Learning Center and Library.