|
Gashora Girls Academy Welcomes Students
By Peter Thorp, Head of School, Gashora Girls Academy
I’m writing this just an hour before our first term final examination Physics exam is about to start. After three years of planning and many months of construction, teacher hiring and preparation, national advertising and student enrollment, we are open and functioning just like a real school!
And real we are. We have 90 amazing young women here. Our Gashora Girls are ambitious, focused and hard-working. If you ask them what they want to be, they will respond in one of three ways—a doctor, an engineer or an IT specialist. And trust me, don’t bet against any one of them! Our day begins at 5:30 and from 6:00-7:00 they are in “preps” or study hall before breakfast, a full day of classes, afternoon jobs, sports or clubs, dinner and another evening study hall before lights out at 9:45.
Read More ...
Rwanda's First Lady Speaks at the GGA Opening Ceremony
By Suzanne Sinegal McGill. Co-Founder Rwanda Girls Initiative
Beginnings .... It’s hard to believe that less than 3 years ago Shal and I were first in Rwanda trying to decide where best to fit in to support education in the country. On Friday, February 25, we stood up to welcome the first class of 90 amazing girls, their parents, more than 400 people from the local community, the Governor of the Eastern Provence and the First Lady of Rwanda to the opening of Gashora Girls Academy. It was a dream come true to see the determination and hope in the faces of the girls. We listened to one of the girls eloquently speak on behalf of her fellow students to welcome everyone and talk about what the school means to them. I had tears in my eyes watching some of the students perform a traditional Rwandan dance and sing so beautifully during the opening celebration.
The First Lady told the girls, “There is a saying that goes ‘Necessity is the Mother of Invention,’ but I wish you young ladies to be the true mothers of invention.” With those words she gave a call to action to the first class at Gashora Girls Academy and told them they are the future and with this opportunity comes responsibility. The girls were listening intently, absolutely rapt in her words. Read More ...
Opportunities to Sponsor a GGA Student
Rwanda Girls Initiative is seeking 65 sponsors for students of the Gashora Girls Academy. Your $2000 contribution provides a high quality upper-secondary education for one student, increasing her future opportunities in her education, career, and life. As a sponsor, you will receive a picture and description of the student whose education you are sponsoring, as well as an update on her progress at the end of the school year.
The generous support of sponsors will be critical to RGI's ability to provide ongoing scholarships to students at GGA.
More information on the details of the sponsorship program is available here.
We have been honored and encouraged by coverage of the opening of the Gashora Girls Academy! Check out some of these great articles about the school and the opening:
NYTimes.com, Nicholas Kristof’s “On the Ground” blog.
Girls in the Spotlight: A Lesson from Rwanda by Josh Ruxin
The Seattle Times
2 Eastsiders Give Global Reach to Girl Power by Jerry Large
KOMONEWS
Bellevue women build school for Rwanda’s future entrepreneurs by Rose Egge
Puget Sound Business Journal
Local donors launch Rwanda girls school by Clay Holtzman
The New Times (Rwanda)
First lady opens girls' school in Bugesera by Charles Kwizera
