A Need for Education Support

 Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty that affects more than half of the Rwandan population.  But while initial primary education enrolment levels in Kigali are high, so too are drop-out rates (20%) and incompletion rates (65%).  As a result, only 1 in 4 young people in Kigali city can expect to achieve a secondary school diploma - the path to a better future for themselves and their families.

a population where 85% are subsistence farmers, and where minimum wages are as low as $1-3 per day, the costs of sending a child to school can be prohibitively high.  The full cost for one student at primary school (including fees, uniforms, transport and other equipment) can be around 80,000RWF (£80) per term, with 3 terms in the year; for secondary school, costs can be as high as 150,000 per term for 3 terms. 

There is thus a real need for programmes increasing access to education for the poorest communities. 

Support this project

You can fund this essential work by donating to rYico (Rwandan Youth Information Community Organisation), our partners in the UK.  Your donation will go directly towards the education costs for our young people, and thus towards building them a brighter future. 

Find out more here. 

Our Education Programmes

The Centre Marembo provides full financial assistance to over 100 children in Kigali, giving access to education for boys and girls who would otherwise be unable to go to school.   We pay the full school and equipment costs for  the girls at our Abatuje refuge and Harakeye house.  We continue to provide this support all the way through both primary and secondary education.  Often, we try to find places at boarding schools with whom we have a special partnership, as they can provide children with food and shelter alongside their education, and can reduce the hardship of a family who may struggle to pay for their child living at home. 

In 2012:
  • 30 girls and 25 boys have had their primary education costs covered, and 25 girls and 35 boys had secondary education paid for in 2012. 
  • A total of 115 students have been given access to a full course of primary and secondary education, and the vast majority successfully complete both. 
  • We also have one student being supported through university, and we have several waiting to start university next year.  All have been supported through primary and secondary, and will have university costs (around £500 per year) covered by the Centre.  

You can donate to support this work so we can provide more and more young people in Kigali with a full education.   Click here for more.

Our other education work

Alongside access to formal education, we have a number of educational initiatives at the Centre itself.  We run classes in English and Kinyarwanda to improve the literacy and language skills of our beneficiaries.  We also provide life skills education and information, particularly Sex Education and through our Clubs and Journal.  By providing access to education and important classes in life skills, we ensure that young people and children in Kigali can access the opportunities, the information and the support necessary to take steps towards securing a positive future.