Secondary students. Source: Trust and Care
Secondary students. Source: Trust and Care

Social Issue

Although more than 20 years have passed since the Rwandan genocide, the African country still lives under the ravages of the terrible event that in 1994 left almost a million dead. The eastern Rwandan provinces, the most populous in the nation, are one of the poorest areas in the country and the one with the largest number of orphans, widows, and families living on the edge of the survival threshold.

Our Response

Since 2007, the Netri Foundation has collaborated with the NGO Trust and Care to improve the situation in the region through education. Although primary education is free and compulsory in Rwanda, many boys and girls do not attend school. The reasons for this phenomenon are related to the lack of resources of their families, who cannot cover the health and food needs of children, nor pay for school supplies.

Expected Social Impact

The main objectives of the project are the following:

  • To provide school materials, such as notebooks and pencils, to 50 primary school pupils, as well as school materials and payment of school fees for 450 secondary school pupils.
  • To provide a 10-day course for social workers in the region, covering nutrition (the importance of a balanced diet to combat malnutrition and how to use the limited resources available to the maximum effect) and health (prevention of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, etc).
  • To get all these beneficiaries registered with the equivalent of social security (“mutuelle de santé”) with which they can receive any necessary health service for free in any health centre, including vaccinations.
  •  To provide the children with tutors who will offer constant monitoring as well as acting as mentors and advisers.