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Dear Friends,
I am writing to you today with a humble and deeply personal request to support an extraordinary young man named Jean Pierre, whose story is one of resilience, brilliance, and unwavering commitment to giving back to his community in Rwanda.
As the Founder of the nonprofit organization, NEU Global, Inc., I began a challenging initiative to support Rwandan students in their education, twenty years ago. To date, NEU Global has found financial aid for forty students from grade 7 through graduate school programs.
Jean Pierre was one of those forty students. He grew up in a small mud hut in a rural Rwandan village, the middle child of many siblings, and raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to provide for her family. Life was difficult—food was never guaranteed, and the hope of going to a good school after 6th grade is on every child’s mind. In Rwanda, education is free only through sixth grade. After that, many children must drop out because their families cannot afford the fees.
But Jean Pierre was different. His potential shone through even in the face of hardship. Thanks to the generosity of an American sponsor who saw his promise, Jean Pierre was able to attend a good secondary school—an opportunity that changed his life. He excelled, finishing with top marks despite the odds stacked against him.
His dream has always been to become a doctor—a surgeon, in fact—so that he can return to his village and serve the community that raised him. Jean Pierre’s mother fell ill many times, and Jean Pierre stood by her side feeling powerless, vowing that one day he would have the skills to help others like her. He wants to bring essential medical care to those who need it most—to children like his siblings, to mothers like his own, to neighbors who suffer without hope of treatment.
Today, Jean Pierre’s dream is within reach: he has been accepted to a medical school in Kenya. The tuition and living expenses in Kenya are significantly lower than in the United States, but they are still far beyond what his family can afford. Over six years of medical school training, Jean Pierre will need consistent support to cover tuition, housing, books, and basic living expenses.
To give perspective: the total cost of Jean Pierre’s six-year medical education in Kenya—including tuition, housing, and living expenses—is $175,080. In sharp contrast, the average cost of tuition alone for medical school in the United States is $390,848—and that does not include living expenses. Every single penny donated will go directly to Jean Pierre’s education and living expenses. Not one penny will be used for NEU Global’s administrative costs or overhead.This is a direct investment in his future, and through him, in the future of his community.
I ask you to consider making a gift—large or small—to help fund Jean Pierre’s medical school education for six years. The goal is to reach $175,000. Your generosity will not only help Jean Pierre fulfill his dream but will ripple through his community for generations to come.
Please help us give Jean Pierre the chance to become the surgeon he was born to be. Together, we can invest in a brighter, healthier future for Rwanda—one where every child can dream of a better tomorrow.
With deepest gratitude,
Nancy Uslan
Founder, NEU Global
Nancy Uslan is the founder of both Indiana University’s Books & Beyond Project and NEU Global, Inc. She has worked for decades to bring books, clean water, and preventative vision care to communities across Rwanda, and her humanitarian efforts earned her the honor of being an Indiana University Bicentennial Medal recipient and having NEU Global being an officially accredited NGO by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in special consultative status.