Blackboards are allowing primary students to thrive

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This past July, REAP staff and volunteers traveled to Rwanda, like they do every summer. Packed in the bottom of their suitcases were mini-blackboards to be given to the students at Duha. While a very modest offering on the surface, these boards had the potential to transform the learning dynamic of classrooms without materials, like pencils and paper. They have done just that, and have also enabled kids to learn at their own pace in a peer-to-peer setting.

The mini-blackboards have been put to use by primary students as they learn to write in English.  In small groups, the kids use the boards in conjunction with multimedia materials to summarize stories, identify new vocabulary and create sentences of their own. These group exercises have increased students’ English proficiency markedly. Since English is the language of instruction in Rwanda, the exercises have ultimately improved students' success in other subjects as well.

REAP seeks to make use of small contributions and maximize their impact with simple but enduring solutions. Thank you to our supporters Heide Wrigley and Lianne Blodgett for making the mini-blackboards a reality for the students at Duha!

Thanks to REAP’s impact Duha was selected to host the launching of the “Hygiene and Cleanliness” event!

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On January 28, Duha School hosted the commencement ceremony for the Gira Isuku mwana “Child, Keep Yourself and Your World Clean” Campaign. Numerous government officials attended the event, including members of parliament, the Executive Secretary of the Eastern Province (on behalf of the governor), the mayor of Rwamagana and various district officials. All of the public school principals in Rwamagana district were also present.

The campaign, a nationwide effort, aims at promoting hygiene and cleanliness in schools and communities to prevent diseases and facilitate learning. Because of REAP’s achievements, Duha was selected as a flagship school for the campaign in the Rwamagana District.

When asked about their selection, the Rwamagana District mayor replied, “We chose Duha because of the incredible achievements REAP has realized there”. In her speech, the mayor once again honored REAP for its various accomplishments at the Duha School, namely promoting quality, student-centric learning.

After a round of applause, Rene, a student at Duha, followed the mayor with a rousing speech of his own: “We are very thankful for REAP’s great support, including but not limited to the creation of a cow farm that provides daily milk to nursery students, the construction of the Community Center, and the implementation of various girls’ programs. All play a substantial role in developing the quality of learning here at Duha”.

Overall, about 1,000 parents and Musha community members attended this inaugural event that underscored REAP’s pioneering efforts in health, well-being and learning.

REAP joins the Rwanda Education NGOs Coordination Platform

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RENCP (Rwanda Education NGOs Coordination Platform) is an organization that is charged with serving as a body for NGO representation, information sharing and coordination within Rwanda’s educational sector. The group is now made up of 60+ member organizations, which collaborate with the Ministry of Education and it’s various affiliated institutions to ensure a more quality and locally responsive educational service for the people of Rwanda.

As of October 21, 2014, REAP officially became a member of this esteemed organization. As a new member, REAP was invited to participate in the LARS Meeting (Learning Achievements in Rwandan Schools) held at the headquarters of Rwanda Education Board last Thursday. The meeting gave us an opportunity to share a number of our accomplishments at Duha with our fellow partners in the Rwandan educational sector. Those successes included the creation of a fully functioning library, the establishment of reading programs and enriched language activities on weekends for students and teachers alike, and the launch of teacher-led reading contests, in which students compete for prizes. Our partners at the RENCP were impressed with our interventions and vowed to utilized some of the lessons we had learned at Duha in an attempt to strengthen the reading culture in rural, public schools.

As a result of this year’s LARS Meeting, a report and recommendations will be published to the Rwanda Education Board. This will help improve education policies and set new strategies for better quality learning in Rwandan schools. It is REAP’s hope that our new membership in the RENCP will help facilitate learning and collaboration among our partners and ultimately, continued successes in the classrooms throughout Rwanda.

REAP Multimedia Project on the move!

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This past July, REAP education experts and teachers from America traveled to Rwanda to the Duha School for the sixth summer. Over 3 weeks, these advocates were tasked with reviewing the newly established multimedia project and developing more efficient methods for multi-sensory English language learning. Along with Denys, the Duha school headmaster, our intervention team succeeded in integrating multimedia into the everyday teaching timetable. While the children predictably loved the new audio and video resources now at their disposable, teachers were even more excited by this new way of teaching.

The initial pilot project involves English classes from grade 3 to grade 9, and gives the children access to visual, audio and kinesthetic learning. Classes gather in the REAP funded community learning center where they enjoy the use of various technologies, such as laptops, speakers and a projector. With the help of our learning intervention expert Eugene, teachers are becoming more skilled at operating the technology and learning how to take advantage of the many merits of multimedia.

While lesson plans are prepared according to the National curriculum, teachers are also beginning to exhibit creative ways to relate the material to the children and their lives; the songs, videos and pictures only serve to reinforce and deepen the understanding. More than anything, the multimedia project serves to increase the efficiency of instruction, by reducing teacher dependency. The materials enable teachers and students to learn at the exact same time, while rotating supervision ensures much needed time for lesson preparation among the teachers that are not present in the community learning center.

At the end of the 2014 school year, a ceremony was held whereby all teachers who participated in the Multimedia project received awards. Two particularly outstanding teachers, Annonciatha in Primary and Mathias in Secondary, received special prizes for their adept use of technology in teaching their students.

Technology certainly has its uses for English instruction but teachers of other subjects also claim to have found multimedia useful: “not only does it help me embed content knowledge in the minds of my students but it also increases my IT expertise in teaching and learning” said Jean Paul NIYONSHUTI, a geography teacher in grade 7. As part of official policy from Rwanda’s education ministry, schools are encouraged to introduce technology into all aspects of learning. The government does not provide much assistance towards this broad goal, so the Multimedia Project is, as one teacher called it, “a godsend”.

REAP educates Musha Community about Sexual and Reproductive Health

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One of REAP’s most important goals is to educate students at the Duha Complex School about sexual and reproductive health, and in doing so, empower the surrounding community of Musha as a whole. By helping to create a dynamic where school and community exist and cooperate hand-in-hand, we hope to promote a safe learning environment for both students and teachers.

To help achieve this goal, REAP established and now funds two programs at Duha: S.R.H.E. (Sexual and Reproductive Health Education) has helped bring sexual education into the classroom, while TUSUME is a club, comprised of over 70 different students, male and female. The stated goal of both programs is to reduce dropout rates between both sexes. The nearby mines in the Musha sector tempt boys to dropout, as the dangerous work provides immediate income. These boys are also more likely to enter into unprotected sex, which results in unwanted pregnancies and forces girls to dropout as well.

Both S.R.H.E. and TUSUME help communicate the dangers of the mining lifestyle by putting on performances for the student-body and the surrounding communities. On September 30, 2014 both clubs held a sexual health outreach day at Akabare Community Center, during which they performed an educational play named “Utagira Nyirasenge Arisenga”.

The purpose of the play was to convey 3 main themes: preventing early and unwanted pregnancies, menstrual hygiene and cooperation between parents and youth in identifying sexual abuse. All 3 issues are at the core of what afflicts this rural community, a lack of knowledge.

Hundreds of people from the community attended the performance, including students and their parents, some of whom admitted afterwards they were not aware of the dangers posed by reproductive decisions. Attendees also vowed to present a united front against those who are locally called “sugar daddies” and “mammies”, along with miners that recruit children from school.

REAP is working with the students to not only provide information, but to also create a dialogue between school and community. It is REAP’s belief that only through this type of all-inclusive cooperation can the school truly begin to tackle some of the complicated issues that burden its students, including but not limited to the taboo topic of sexual health.

Duha Cow Farm welcomes a newborn Calf!

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During the night of December 1, 2014, our 6 year old mother cow named Indinganire gave birth to a new female calf. The new black and white Friesian cow is now resting comfortably with her mother in the corner of our enclosure. Both newborn and mother are receiving appropriate food enrichment to increase milk yield.

As nursery classes will reconvene in January, this birth comes at an especially opportune moment, that we might provide a sufficient amount of fresh milk for our preschoolers to mix with their daily porridge. More milk, leads to better nutrition; better nutrition leads to increased energy and cognitive aptitude.

Excited to provide an opportunity for increased learning potential, the Duha School and its surrounding community are also encouraged by the fact that the farm seems to be expanding towards self-reliance. While primarily focused on nursery students, this project also looks to highlight the change that can be achieved through community-led grassroots efforts. Truly remarkable!


P5 learning enrichment program, a success!

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Every year, P6 students take a national examination. Based on the results, the Ministry of Education sends a limited number of outstanding pupils to secondary boarding schools. The national examination covers all subjects from 4th to 6th grade. The exams are given in English; a subject students are still struggling to master. Sixth grade teachers faced the difficult task of teaching content and skills that have not been sufficiently understood in the earlier grades to effectively build upon. To address this problem, REAP in partnership with Duha, started an Enriched Learning Program for students who passed P5, while waiting to start P6. Under the supervision of REAP staff Elisaphane and P5 math teacher Valens, this 6-week holiday program begin in November, and was recently completed before Christmas. The program aimed to help refocus students’ energy on mathematics and English language, while emphasizing understanding rather than breadth and coverage.

Elisaphane and Valens collaborated with Eugene, REAP’s educational coordinator, to select specific topics from P4 and P5 that directly connect with P6 subject matter. They identified the content that most commonly shows up on national examinations. Every day, students were divided into two classes. Elisaphane taught English, while Valens led math. At the end of each chapter, students were evaluated to assess their level of understanding, while gaps in knowledge were addressed on an individual level. The program has turned out more than 60 students everyday since it was launched.


Fabulous Senior 6 National Exam results at Duha School!

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Upon completion of secondary school in Rwandan public schools, students are expected to take a national examination. Students must pass the national exam to receive their high school diploma. Those students who score high enough may very well earn university scholarships, distributed by the government.


At Duha, students may take the test in 2 major subjects: HEG (History, Economics and Geography) or EKK (English, Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili). Last year, Duha’s pass rate was 100% in HEG and 85.7% in EKK.


These astounding outcomes were a direct result of extensive learning enhancement programs that students have been immersed in since primary grades. These programs include classroom reading sessions, Saturday learning enrichment initiatives and improved library services that enhance reading and research, just to name a few.


We are very proud of the incredible drive our students display. REAP works hard to match that effort and facilitate lifelong learning for these impressive scholars.

Mandela, a REAP alumnus is employed by a leading Mining Company in Rwanda!

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Since 2010, REAP has offered 17 high school scholarships to brilliant yet vulnerable students who pass P6 or S3 national exams and can’t afford pursuing their education. Mandela is one of the scholarships students who, with REAP’s sponsorship, has successfully graduated from high school and used his schooling to capitalize on job opportunities.                                                                                                       

Mandela is now employed as a chef at Piran Resources Rwanda, one of the leading Mining Companies in Rwanda. During an interview with our staff, Lunnie, Piran’s manager said that Mandela beat out 3 outstanding and highly qualified candidates in a competitive job application process. He also commended Mandela as their most disciplined and hard working employee. Mandela’s proficiency with English has ensured his steady rise in the company to where he now has opportunities to train other cooks and take on more of the daily managerial responsibilities.

REAP scholarships provide immediate and future benefits to their lucky recipients. Keep making us proud Mandela, we will continue to make you proud!