One of the great rewards of establishing the Maranyundo
School for Girls in Rwanda has been the many friends and supporters we have made
along the way. Throughout the process, Rwandans have been generous with their
time, expertise, and most of all, with
their careful advice on how to navigate the cultural differences that
naturally arise. Their commitment to the success of the girls at the school,
their respect and support of the Benebikira Order who administer the school,
are certainly reasons that the dream of a few Boston and Rwandan women is now Reality.
Our day began on the road traveling to Kigali to meet with
Eugene Makamura who is now the Minister of Education for Rwanda. Eugene was
the Chair of the Maranyundo School Board here in Rwanda. He worked closely with
the Boston Board and Jane O’Connor, who was then Executive Director. He seemed
comfortable in his Ministry office, having only been in the position for a few
months. He had already been to Washington D.C. to meet wit the Master Card
organization that gives substantial grants to African nations for teacher
training, college scholarships and technology projects. We talked to him about
the Teaching Fellows Program that Kathy Katengwa (another Rwandan Board
member) is interested in adopting
for the Forum for Africa Educationalists (FAWE) schools for girls and other schools across the country. We appreciated his insights into how valuable
Teaching Fellows at Maranyundo had been. They have been especially valuable for
helping students develop their English proficiency.
We left the Ministry and planned to meet two other
Maranyundo friends for lunch. Sister Jacinta is a Benebikira sister whom we met
when she was the Bursar at Maranyundo. We came to admire her careful attention
to the budget . When we met her in the early years of the school, she had not
yet taken her final vows. We watched her develop into a skilled administrator.
After taking her final vows, she went to Rome to study finance and business and
she now has her masters degree. She is a valued member of the congregation.
Brother Stratton also joined us at the Nobleis Hotel for
lunch. Brother Stratton was the headmaster at Byamana School of Science and
Technology for several years. Byamana was one of the first Science and Technology
High Schools founded by the Marist Brothers after WWII in Rwanda. He has been
so generous with his time and good counsel as we developed the first stages of
Maranynudo and certainly as we designed and developed the STEM high school. Brother
Stratton says he is retired, but he now works with refugee camps in the Congo and
Burundi, He identifies promising young men who are graduating from high school
grades in the refugee camps and supports them to find a post secondary school
to attend. He currently has helped 23 young men to graduate and find additional
job training and education. We advised him to start a website, start a Go-Fund
Me Page to support his tireless work.
These are only three of the many friends that Maranyundo
Initiative has made in this country of resilient, courageous and hopeful
people. Their dedication to our Initiative, as well as the many other good
works they pursue is truly inspiring.
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