By Susan Pasley | Communications Coordinator
Gisele is a bright, talented and caring young girl with a passion for dance. She dances with the MindLeaps Performance group, and earlier this year participated in the MindLeaps International Train the Trainer Program with the hopes of one day becoming a MindLeaps teacher.
Gisele came to MindLeaps in 2014 when her friends in the program encouraged her to give dance a try. Up to that point, her life had not been easy. Home life was troubled and although in school, she attended irregularly. She often ran away, spending days out on the streets. She was aimless, with no direction and nowhere to go.
Dancing made all the difference. From the moment she started with MindLeaps, Gisele was engaged, she felt a transformation begin. Dancing helped her learn discipline and her behavior at school and home began to improve. She could communicate and collaborate better with friends and family. Today, three years after finishing the graded MindLeaps program, she still dances with the Performance Group because of her love of dance. Above all, she says, dance has let her “see herself better.” The more she expresses herself through dance, the more she learns about her own emotions and aspirations. She can see clearly what is important to her.
Gisele wants to become a MindLeaps trainer to be able to give other children the kind of self-awareness and enthusiasm for life that MindLeaps gave her. She is also learning to play guitar at MindLeaps (through a collaboration with Musicians Without Borders) and aspires to one day become a musician who can play multiple instruments. MindLeaps has helped Gisele discover her own artistic expression, and it is very clear from meeting her and watching her dance that this type of creative communication has brought out the sensitive and intelligent girl that she is.
Your generosity and support make stories like Gisele’s possible. At MindLeaps, girls are finding an environment where they can thrive. Girls and boys alike are gaining the motivation, discipline and determination to achieve their goals. The 90 MindLeaps Rwanda kids currently enrolled in primary and secondary school are moving ahead with their formal education, having completed term two in August and started term three in September. Their enthusiasm for learning can be seen in their report cards, with many among the top students in their class.
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