Nursery school in Nyamvumvu (in the sector of Rutunga)
In many rural areas in Rwanda there are only few educational institutions and in most cases the parents of the children living there cannot afford adequate schooling for their children because, being self-sufficient, they do not have the necessary financial means for school fees and materials. The board of the association therefore decided in 2018 to launch its own school project in Rutunga (approx. 30 km from Kigali).
Starting with the construction of a nursery school, the long-term aim – depending on the amount of donations – is to create an education centre for all age groups in which both high-quality and free schooling is offered. While the running costs are covered by personal sponsorships, other school buildings (classrooms, cafeteria, library, workroom, etc.) are taken over by general sponsors – both individuals and foundations.
In 2019 the time had come: after buying a piece of land, we built the first school building, a nursery school with 3 classrooms, and named it Happy Kids School. At the beginning of 2020 the school opened for the children of the first nursery school class (N1). You can find a detailed report on the school construction and the school opening below.
Current project: The school kitchen
The construction of a school kitchen with a covered outdoor canteen for the students at our Happy Kids School is planned for 2021. The aim is to offer a free, healthy breakfast and / or lunch to all students.
Thanks to a major donor who covered the costs for the entire school kitchen building, construction could already begin in early 2021. The financing of the covered outdoor cafeteria is now also secured thanks to numerous individual donations. Donations are therefore primarily needed for equipment now.
Donate now to equip the school kitchen and the canteen, e.g., for pots, plates, glasses, cutlery, tables, chairs, and trays, and support us to be able to offer the children in Rutunga, who often suffer from malnutrition, a healthy diet during their school days.
Report on school construction
In autumn 2018 we acquired a plot of 6,836 m² with a view of the beautiful Muhazi Lake, clarified all permits with the local authorities and found an architect who finally planned and supervised the construction of the school.
When we first stepped on the property of our future school in December 2018, we could hardly imagine what it would look like a year later. We committed a very hilly piece of land, which was partly overgrown and partly planted with beans and peas. This changed fundamentally six months later: Since the ground-breaking on July 26th, 2019, we have enjoyed the new pictures of our school every week. It is just great how quickly and enthusiastically they worked there!
What is particularly nice: Many parents of the future nursery school children found work on the construction site and were thus involved in the school project from the start.
A year later, two board members (Sonja and Kristin) flew back to Rwanda because they wanted to be there when the school opened.
When they saw “our” school building and the toilet for the first time on December 23, 2019, they could hardly believe their eyes.
It was a great moment to enter the premises for the first time and to be amazed at how quickly the property was straightened and the construction (almost) completed. There were still little things to do and the electricity and water connections did not work on the first visit, but they were immediately impressed by the large, bright classrooms, the office and the staff room as well as the toilet block.
Now it was time to make the final preparations for the school opening and to set up the school, at least the first classroom and the teachers’ room. Kristin and Sonja visited a schoolbook publisher to order all available school and picture books that are suitable for our baby class (1st nursery school year). And our project partner Egide had already commissioned our school furniture from a carpenter in Kigali in November: 25 small chairs, five round tables for the children, teacher’s tables and chairs, as well as shelves and cupboards were of course not missing in our school.
Back in Germany we had already created some school materials together with some godparents and sponsors as part of a special campaign, such as letter cards and memory and domino games that Sonja and Kristin took with them to Rwanda. They also bought a lot of toys, carpets, pillows, posters, slippers, school supplies and much, much more. During one of the purchases, they stood at the cashier of a huge supermarket with 10 shopping trolleys, a refrigerator and a drinking water dispenser and were curious themselves how all this should be transported to our school. But in Rwanda a solution is found for everything and without further ado a driver with a pick-up was available to take all things on the bumpy unpaved slopes to Nyamvumvu.
One day before the grand opening on January 3rd, 2020, to which a representative of the German embassy was invited, and after several days of waiting, the school furniture was finally delivered. In a cloak and dagger operation, the furniture was moved, things sorted, and the classroom prepared. At 2 a.m. all preparations were completed and even the electricity and water connections worked perfectly.
And so, we were able to open our Happy Kids School with an official celebration on January 3rd, 2020 – an unforgettable day for everyone involved! The first official school day for the new students was on January 6th, 2020. At this point the pictures speak for themselves.
In summer 2020, thanks to a particularly generous special donation, a playground was built on the grounds of the Happy Kids School. In addition, our project partner used the initial easing after the pandemic lockdown to erect some electricity pylons from the main road to the school buildings, fix the slopes in front of and behind the classrooms and have the furniture for the second classroom made and brought to the school. Also, 25 more children who are about to start school at the Happy Kids School have now found a sponsor or even a sponsoring family.
In the beginning of February 2021 25 further children became pupils of our Happy Kids School. We´re very proud, that also every child found a sponsor!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone once again for his or her wonderful support, without which all this would not have been possible!
The school project is of course dependent on donations in the future in order to continue to grow and to enable today’s schoolchildren to graduate successfully one day.
By supporting this great project, you are not only helping the children and young people who benefit directly, but also making a significant contribution to the development of Rwanda in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN).
Further information on the status of planning and the remaining financial requirements for the successful implementation of the current and subsequent projects can be found here:
KJHR Happy Kids School Präsentation
We are looking forward to the next steps and of course we will keep you up to date on the progress.
