 All projects begin by working with a community’s elected council, discussing local issues and settling on aspects on which they can work together for the common good. In Nyamikamba, the primary school was in desperate need of improvement: about 700 pupils had to sit on the floor; seven classrooms were near collapse; more classrooms were needed to make space for lessons; there were only six toilets for more than 1,300 pupils; and there was a high drop-out rate because of lack of materials. The community, with Oxfam support, set about changing it.
In Nyamikamba they have not just created a classroom, they’ve created a whole new school! Eight new classrooms have been built with desks and chairs for everyone. The dilapidated classrooms have been rebuilt and refurbished. There are now plenty of toilets for pupils and teachers. And the school has been kitted out with exercise books, pens, teaching materials, and sports equipment. Each of the pupils has also got a new schoolbag and their own PE kit. And an old building has been transformed into a community centre.
The headmaster (an ex-pupil at the school), Célestin Havugimana, is proud of their achievements. “Before the project,” he says, “the 15-minute break was not long enough for all pupils who wanted to to go to the toilet, and some used to come back to the classroom late. The equipment has considerably reduced the school dropout phenomenon – more than 100 children resumed their schooling.”
Félicien Nkurikiyimana, a 16-year-old pupil at the school, says: “Until I started grade 4 [4th year of primary schooling], I had never touched a desk. And before the distribution of exercise books by Oxfam, I was using one exercise book for five subjects. It was very difficult for me to revise my lessons. Now, I follow the lessons without any difficulties.”
Your gifts have transformed the school in Nyamikamba, and are doing the same for children throughout the world, so that they can learn and flourish with their hopes set on a brighter future. And in Rwanda, your gifts have also contributed to building peace and harmony within communities. |