Help a Rwandan teacher finish school!
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Suzanne and I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda from 2011-2013. Rwanda is a beautiful country and has done an amazing job rebuilding after the horrific genocide in 1994, but educational opportunities are hard to come by for many of the citizens. During my time in Rwanda I taught English at a rural secondary school and Marie Goreth was the math and physics teacher. She was my best friend and always looked out for opportunities to help me integrate into my community. Living so far away from home was difficult, but having a friend like Goreth brought me so much comfort and joy. She helped me navigate uncomfortable situations in school, tutored me in the native language, and provided a sympathetic ear when I was feeling frustrated or sad. During my service she volunteered to help run a GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) camp where we worked with teenage girls for a week and taught lessons about leadership, girl power, and sexual health. Goreth is a wonderful model for young girls in Rwanda and is always looking for ways to reach out and counsel the girls and boys at our school and in the local communities.
Goreth finished secondary school and two years of university on a government scholarship but was forced to quit due to a lack of funds. Her current position as a school teacher with two years of training pays about $50 a month, but part of that is kept by the government to repay her "scholarship." The rest of the money she uses to support her family. Goreth comes from a very poor family who lives in a rural village about two hours south of the capital city, Kigali. Her mother and father are subsistence farmers, but her mother has been very ill lately and Goreth, at the age of 25, carries the burden of supporting the entire family. She has four younger siblings and must use her meager teacher's salary to support all the members of her family and pay for her own living expenses since she teaches in a village about an hour away from her family.
Her dream is to finish university and teach at a higher level to help change the deeply flawed education system in Rwanda. She is a loving sister and daughter, attends church every Sunday, and has a generous spirit that compels her to give, even when it means she will go without. Goreth is a kind and passionate teacher and cares very much about the success of her students, which is unfortunately not a universal trait amongst teachers in Rwanda. She doesn't rely on corporal punishment or rote memorization, instead she attempts to engage her students in the activities and lessons, not a simple task when class sizes range from 30-60 students. If I had the money I would pay for her to finish school myself, but unfortunately Peace Corps volunteers aren't exactly flush with cash after they finish their services, and since I will be taking out loans to finish my graduate education I will not be in a position to pay all of her school fees. I have found one wonderful sponsor who has made the generous offer to pay school tuition to help her finish the next few terms of her undergraduate education, but there are so many more expenses that go along with living in the expensive capital city so I need some major help to make her dream come true!
Please help me raise the money for her tuition and living expenses for the next few years. Not only will you be making an investment in Goreth, but you will also invest in the future of Rwanda. The country is continuing to grow and develop after a time of great sorrow, and people like Goreth have the opportunity to change the future of the education system!
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."-Nelson Mandela
Goreth finished secondary school and two years of university on a government scholarship but was forced to quit due to a lack of funds. Her current position as a school teacher with two years of training pays about $50 a month, but part of that is kept by the government to repay her "scholarship." The rest of the money she uses to support her family. Goreth comes from a very poor family who lives in a rural village about two hours south of the capital city, Kigali. Her mother and father are subsistence farmers, but her mother has been very ill lately and Goreth, at the age of 25, carries the burden of supporting the entire family. She has four younger siblings and must use her meager teacher's salary to support all the members of her family and pay for her own living expenses since she teaches in a village about an hour away from her family.
Her dream is to finish university and teach at a higher level to help change the deeply flawed education system in Rwanda. She is a loving sister and daughter, attends church every Sunday, and has a generous spirit that compels her to give, even when it means she will go without. Goreth is a kind and passionate teacher and cares very much about the success of her students, which is unfortunately not a universal trait amongst teachers in Rwanda. She doesn't rely on corporal punishment or rote memorization, instead she attempts to engage her students in the activities and lessons, not a simple task when class sizes range from 30-60 students. If I had the money I would pay for her to finish school myself, but unfortunately Peace Corps volunteers aren't exactly flush with cash after they finish their services, and since I will be taking out loans to finish my graduate education I will not be in a position to pay all of her school fees. I have found one wonderful sponsor who has made the generous offer to pay school tuition to help her finish the next few terms of her undergraduate education, but there are so many more expenses that go along with living in the expensive capital city so I need some major help to make her dream come true!
Please help me raise the money for her tuition and living expenses for the next few years. Not only will you be making an investment in Goreth, but you will also invest in the future of Rwanda. The country is continuing to grow and develop after a time of great sorrow, and people like Goreth have the opportunity to change the future of the education system!
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."-Nelson Mandela
Organizer
Suzi Enoch
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
