Media release:
RAUW and Rhodes Scholars assist orphan students in Rwanda

11 April 2007

The Rwanda Association of University Women (RAUW) is working in collaboration with the Rhodes Scholar Southern Africa Forum (RSSAF) Project and Benishyaka Association to assist ten orphan girl students in Rwanda to continue their education. The project aims at supporting vulnerable girls to access education by providing school fees and school materials.

Elizabeth Pearson, Dr Shirley Randell, Ambassador Joy Mukayange & Betty Gahima with three students

President Ambassador Joy Mukanyange and Secretary Dr Shirley Randell of RAUW and Rhodes Scholar, Elizabeth Pearson of RSSAF, recently visited Betty Gahima, National Coordinator of Benishyaka to meet some of the RAUW-sponsored secondary school students They spoke with three of the students who were among ten girls selected from vulnerable orphaned children at the lower section of secondary education – Tron Commun - in Gasabo and Nyarugenge Districts of Kigali city.

The objective of the meeting was for the sponsors to get know more about the students and Benishyaka’s work. It was also an opportunity for the students to know who is sponsoring them.

The three students who were released from their schools to attend the meeting, were encouraged by Ambassador Joy to work hard with their studies. The girls said they were aspiring to be future doctors. Elizabeth gave them some writing materials to assist them with their studies.

The representative from RAUW and the Rhodes scholar were briefed on Benishyaka’s activities, a non-governmental organization that addresses the socio-economic needs of vulnerable widows and orphans. One of its programs is education sponsorship to orphaned vulnerable children. According to Betty Gahima, Benishyaka is privileged to work with RAUW which has enabled vulnerable girls to access education. “The project was timely when the organization had a big number of vulnerable children to be supported”, she said.

RAUW is an association of 200 women graduates in Rwanda who are committed to furthering the development of education for women and girls and to promoting lifelong learning. RAUW has paid the first term school fees and school materials for the ten students. Each student has received a mattress, uniforms, exercise books, reams of paper and mathematical sets.

RAUW heard about the RSSAF from Rhodes Scholar, Elizabeth Pearson, who was a short term intern with Women Waging Peace in 2006 as part of her study program. Elizabeth became a member of RAUW and is maintaining her membership following her return to the UK.

RSSAF, now ten years old, is a charitable project funded and run entirely by Rhodes Scholars from many countries round the world. Rhodes Scholars are elite students selected on all-round academic, sporting, and citizenship criteria as outstanding representatives of their countries. They are currently studying at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and are committed to raising awareness about issues facing the African continent as well as supporting community development projects in the region. RSSAF aims to draw upon the resources available in the Rhodes Community to support positive change in Southern Africa. The Forum funds its grant-making activities through contributions from Rhodes Scholars and fundraising events held throughout the year.

Each year, RSSAF raises money in the UK for small-scale projects contributing to poverty reduction and improving the lives of vulnerable people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Projects recently funded have included a community hospital, a school program for AIDS orphans, a revolving livestock project, and a sustainable agricultural project. The funding granted generally varies between the equivalent of 500 pounds and 1500 pounds sterling so is only appropriate for small projects.