Let's Help 100 Girls Lead!

In 2014, MindLeaps opened its first permanent center in Kigali, Rwanda. Since then, it has transformed many lives––and hundreds of futures. Indeed, for many of the Rwandan children who have joined MindLeaps, eating everyday was a bigger priority than attending school. Many came from single-parent households that struggle to pay rent, let alone pay school fees. However, the Kigali MindLeaps Center has given such children the opportunity to dream––and, with the support of donors, attain those dreams.

One of MindLeaps’ programs allows sponsored youth to pursue technical and vocational education and training (TVET), which is highly encouraged in Rwanda. 20 MindLeaps students have graduated in fields of their choice: 7 in hairdressing, 7 in culinary arts, and 6 in tailoring. 90% of these students are girls. Additionally, of these graduates, three have secured full time jobs immediately following their internship period. One of the culinary arts students told MindLeaps that, “During my internship at Tam Tam restaurant in Kigali, I used my culinary skills, grit, creativity and teamwork to improve customer satisfaction. After my internship, the restaurant manager immediately gave me a full-time job. I was thrilled at this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing my work.”

On June 27th, MindLeaps held a ceremony to distribute startup toolkits to graduates. Culinary arts graduates received items such as spoons, pans, pots, and graters; hairdressing trainees received hair dryers, uniforms, and hairbrushes; aspiring tailors were given sewing machines, scissors, and thread. Clementine Muteteri, a hairdressing student and Marine Uwamahoro, who studied tailoring, were among those delighted to pick up their tools.

Your contributions make these programs, toolkits, and careers possible. Without your help, MindLeaps would not be able to watch our students thrive and enter the fields of their choice. We can’t wait to help the next class of MindLeaps graduates pursue their dreams and build Rwanda’s future.

Giirls who face poverty and unstable home lives often have no alternative but to frequently miss school or drop out entirely and try to survive, with little hope for the future. As part of the MindLeaps program, these girls become involved not only in dance classes, but also receive academic support, daily meals and get on a path to school sponsorship. With the support of MindLeaps, they are able to get back on track with their education and start to dream of a future that’s possible to achieve.

Madina, Emeline, Diane, Confiance, and Ange are all MindLeaps girls who are now thriving and have their eyes set on goals for future careers.

Before MindLeaps, 12-year-old Madina had a very hard time day to day. Her father had left for the Democratic Republic of Congo when she was very young. Madina lives at home with her mother and four siblings, and her mother often didn’t have enough money for food because she spent it all on school fees. Now, with MindLeaps’ school sponsorship, her mother doesn’t need to prioritize school over food and Madina is eating well, with a lot more energy for her studies. Madina really loves learning new things, and hopes to use this hunger for knowledge to become a nurse one day. Her favorite part of the MindLeaps program is Academic Acceleration, especially English classes.

10-year-old Emeline lives with both parents and four siblings at home, but is one of just two siblings currently in school. Before MindLeaps, she would typically eat just one meal a day and her parents had a hard time paying her school fees from their work selling food and working in construction. Now, with MindLeaps, Emeline can get a second good meal every day and go to school without worrying about fees. She loves the MindLeaps program, and especially likes learning science and math in school. Her dream is to become a pilot.

12-yr-old Diane is an only child living alone with her mother since her father left the family. Her mother sells vegetables. Before joining MindLeaps, Diane was often lonely because she didn’t have a network of peers to socialize with. Now, she has a lot of friends at MindLeaps and a place to go after school. She loves being in dance class with her friends. Because her mother doesn’t earn much, Diane is happy that MindLeaps is sponsoring her school fees. She struggles at times with math and English in school, but appreciates the extra academic support she gets at MindLeaps. She hopes to become a nurse when she grows up.

Before 11-year-old Confiance joined MindLeaps, her family was having a hard time. They couldn’t afford rent, school fees, school materials, or enough food. Now, MindLeaps is able to sponsor Confiance’s school fees and provide her with a good meal every day, thereby alleviating some of the family’s difficulties. Confiance’s father died in 2016 while working in the military, leaving his wife alone to support Confiance and her two brothers by working as a street vendor. Confiance has a lot of responsibilities at home, which can be exhausting, but she says she always finds the MindLeaps dance classes energizing. She wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a soldier serving her country.

10-year-old Ange said she often went to bed on an empty stomach. Now, as part of the MindLeaps program, she gets a good meal every day and her school fees and materials are sponsored. The MindLeaps Family Strengthening Program, which works with parents of MindLeaps students, has also helped her mother find a job washing clothes in the community. This support has relieved financial pressure on the family, and Ange can now concentrate on her studies. She hopes to be a science teacher one day.

Your contributions are making continuing schooling possible for these girls and so many more like them. Education is the key to their future success, the foundation upon which their dreams can be built and realized.