Rwanda’s new school year started in October 2022, heralding a very exciting time for the six schools that Wilderness Rwanda’s non-profit, Children in the Wilderness (CITW), partners within the company’s three areas of operation. In addition to the current 110 scholarships, 30 new CITW scholarships have been awarded!
This means a total of 140 students are now sponsored for six years of schooling – at Bisate Primary and Bisate Secondary schools near Wilderness Bisate, Akayange Primary and Rwabirharamba Secondary schools in the area just outside Akagera National Park, where Wilderness Magashi is located, and Gisunzu Primary and Kinihira Secondary schools close to the Gishwati Forest. All 140 scholarship students are also part of the Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) Club programme.
Included in the scholarship are school fees, lesson and study materials, school meals and school uniforms.
Over the last couple of weeks Aline Umutoni, CITW and Community Co-ordinator for Wilderness Rwanda, was assisted by parents, the community committees and the more senior students, to distribute all these uniforms, books, pens, calculators, times tables, rulers, backpacks and much more to the respective students!
The start of the school year also means that our CITW Eco-Clubs and YES Clubs are back in action. Students who moved from Primary to Secondary School created space for new learners from the Primary Schools to join the Eco-Clubs. Since our CITW Eco-Clubs are the most popular clubs to be part of at the school there were hundreds of new learners wanting to join. The schools and Aline had to organise a small test to ensure that the most motivated students could be selected to join the various clubs.
The final selections created two CITW Eco-Clubs at Bisate Primary School with 60 learners, two CITW Eco-Clubs at Akayange Primary School with 60 learners, and lastly 64 learners in two CITW Eco-Clubs at Gisunzu Primary School. The three YES Clubs at Rwabirharamba, Kinihira and Bisate secondary schools now have 281 students participating.
We now have an impressive total of 465 learners in our various Environmental Clubs every week!
We wish all the students a very good 2022-2023 school year.
