​Jade, a student at African Leadership University, was intrigued by TEACH
Rwanda’s approach to mentoring Rwanda’s teachers. She immediately followed up
with an interview of TR’s Founder and President, Jan Brown. That lively
interview resulted not only in this article,

Two passions connect!
In 2019, TEACH Rwanda’s in-country board members, Jan Brown and Bill Whipple, welcomed Eric Biribuze to Bright School, TEACH Rwanda’s flagship Exemplary School. He was so intrigued with our engaging, evidence-based approach to education that he returned in February 2020.

Press Release
​U.S. EMBASSY KIGALI  
PRESS RELEASE  
  
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION  
  
May 29, 2020  
Kigali, Rwanda  
  

American Citizens, Organizations Support Rwandan People Through COVID Hardship  

The global coronavirus pandemic is causing significant change around the world, but some things remain constant -- including the generosity of the American people and the many partnerships between Rwanda and the United States. 

While the U.S. government has committed more than US$5 million to date in emergency funding in support of Rwanda's COVID-19 response, private American citizens, U.S. companies, and non-profit organizations based in the United States have also organized private contributions to support the Rwandan people during these difficult times.  
  
"I am pleased to see so many American citizens and U.S. organizations getting involved in coronavirus response and relief here in Rwanda,” said Peter H. Vrooman, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda. “It truly is an ‘All-of-America' fight against coronavirus for us, at home and around the world.” 

“The private sector showcases America's 'can-do' spirit and illustrates the depth of the partnership between our two countries," said Vrooman. “I want to thank these U.S. citizens and organizations for making a real difference in the lives of Rwandans all across this country.” 

​Pennsylvania-based Azizi Life partners with rural Rwandans to lift lives through fair trade. The nonprofit raised more than $10,000 in contributions from online donations, mostly from the United States, to support more than 500 artisan and beekeeping partners and their families for one month.  

Thanks to donations mostly from the United States and the United Kingdom, local NGO Dufatanye has provided emergency food and soap distributions to almost 4,000 households in Nyanza. This is more than 64 tons of food impacting more than 20,000 individuals. 

U.S.-owned Impano Sportswear has shifted its Kigali production line to face masks, in support Government of Rwanda guidance requiring cloth face masks in public. In addition to custom designs and branded masks, Impano is also producing sports masks. 

USAID's Power Africa advisor helped blended-learning leader Kepler to apply for a $50,000 grant for portable solar chargers for laptops so that 163 undergraduate students at Kiziba refugee camp can attend class online. 

Kids Play International, established by a three-time U.S. Olympian, promotes gender equity through sport and the Olympic values in post genocide impacted countries. Due to COVID-19, the non-profit is expanding its current after-school programming in Rwanda and Cambodia to provide supplemental food to the families of 200 youth involved in Kids Play programming, feeding more than 600 people in need. Kids Play will also bring water and sanitation solutions to more than 10,000 community members.  

Atlanta-based Kula Project is a non-profit that has been empowering Rwandan coffee farmers through business and leadership training since 2015. Thanks to an online fundraising campaign, Kula has already provided two weeks worth of food to 198 program participants in Kayonza and Gakenke Districts, plus extra money directly to those two districts to support other vulnerable households. A follow-up grant will soon allow Kula to provide similar support to 890 additional families. 

MindLeaps, a U.S.-based non-profit that uses dance to develop the cognitive skills and social-emotional learning of at-risk youth, has donated more than 2,000 kilograms of food to more than 230 families in need in Nyamirambo and Rwezamenyo. 

Atlanta natives Erin and Colton Parks live and work in Rwanda. The Parks Family collected donations from more than 100 family and friends in the United States and worked with Rwandan friends and local government offices to distribute food to more than 10,600 families. 

Partners In Health, locally known as Inshuti Mu Buzima, has worked with the Government of Rwanda to strengthen primary and chronic care services in the public health system since 2005. PIH directly supports the National Joint COVID-19 Task Force by providing staffing expertise in data management, communications and analytics. PIH also bolstered national COVID-19 testing capacity by providing an RT-PCR machine that conducts 73 tests an hour at the National Reference Lab and strengthened facility readiness for COVID-19 response in the District hospitals of Kirehe, Rwinkwavu and Butaro. In addition, PIH is ensuring the continuation of care for cancer patients in the lock down context by distributing oral cancer treatment by drones in partnership with Zipline. 

Boston-based Shooting Touch uses the mobilizing power of basketball as a tool for health education, intervention, and improved well-being for rural communities. Unable to take to the court at the moment, Shooting Touch is providing weekly phone credit to 15 women at each court they have built, in order to establish a "buddy system" to maintain camaraderie during these isolated times. This calling task-force will offer an open ear, recording the concerns of their teammates, as well as provide them with at-home stretching routines, fitness exercises, mental health coping strategies, and phone numbers for free support (abuse, mental health, etc). 

TEACH Rwanda is a Pennsylvania-based organization for American educators to help Rwandan preschool and primary teachers learn to use modern, research-based teaching methods. Their exemplary school in Muhanga, Bright School, includes many students from vulnerable families, so the school has provided food to 67 families to date, with even larger food distributions around the corner. Teachers regularly call students' families, as well, to check-in and to encourage project-based learning at home. 

The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) is a global university based in Rwanda and an initiative from Boston-based NGO Partners in Health. It offers a unique community-and facility-based approach to medical training that centers on vulnerable populations. UGHE presents a long-term solution to pandemic preparedness and response in training students to build, repair, maintain and grow resilient health systems capable of preventing and withstanding future outbreaks, as well as contributing to critical research in this area. Currently, it's alumni are well-trained to contribute to frontline efforts in contact tracing, testing operations, delivering medical supplies and training community health workers, in Rwanda and other countries. Campus resources are being allocated towards the response, including redeploying drivers to transport patients to facilities like the Butaro Cancer Center facing interruption 

Kentucky-based Word Made Flesh invests in women living in vulnerable communities in Rwanda, providing access to dignified work, vocation and life skills, financial literacy, counseling, and deep friendship through community. Since the start of the COVID lockdown, Word Made Flesh has worked with local government leaders to distribute food to 340 vulnerable households in Kangondo, more than half headed by a person living with HIV. 

U.S. tech start up Zipline is using drone-based delivery to support medical response to COVID-19 in Rwanda and Ghana, delivering testing samples in-bound from rural areas and distributing outbound PPE and other medical supplies like cancer meds. 

This “All-of-America" approach is helping people around the world. American private businesses, non-profit groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, and individuals have now provided more than US$4.3 billion in donations and assistance globally, more than any other nation, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

What did many Bright School children do during their break between Terms 2 and 3? From July 22 to August 2, 29 students were thrilled to be immersed in an enrichment program with these integrated themes:

• Social innovation
• Emotional intelligence
• Cultural immersion

Two dynamic Rwandan interns—Francoise Niyigena, a neuroscience and psychology student at Middlebury College in Vermont, and Elnaam Umutoni, a computer science student at African Leadership University in Kigali—led the program. Their vision was to empower the children with the skills and a mindset of problem solving, cultural understanding, leadership, as well as personal and emotional development. A cadre of other energetic Rwandan volunteers, some Bright School staff, and even a volunteer from China were on hand as part of the crew, too.
​
Week 1—Emotions, Ethics, Creativity

During the first week, the children engaged in activities that encouraged self-discovery & emotional development, exploration of various challenges in their communities, team ethics, and the ability to innovatively think of solutions in the face of a challenge. Children were inspired to see themselves as capable young change-makers.

​During our field trip to nearby Zipline Rwanda, a drone port that flies medical supplies and blood to remote areas of the country, our guide was amazed by the brilliant questions the children asked. Everyone was curious to learn more about a neighboring social innovation.

Week 2—Cultural Immersion

During the second week, children at Bright School engaged in activities such as theater plays, music, dances, poetry, and storytelling to gain a deeper understanding of Rwandan culture. 

​The children were surprised by how gentle and skilled the cows were. “How is it that these cows are even more organized and disciplined than us people?” one of the children exclaimed in shock after seeing how the cows gracefully moved in lines.  

On the last day of Enrichment, August 2, we were so lucky it happened to be the annual national Umuganura celebration where Rwandans historically bring together their best harvest to cook and celebrate their crop and animal produce. So with the children, we had our own celebration with milk, corn on the cob, presentations, stories, and dancing.

Invest in innovation through education…
​with TEACH Rwanda!