Empower women in Africa through higher education!

Outside of a house in the lush Rwandan valley, little feet thumped along a red dirt road.

It was a seemingly typical afternoon for Jeanne d’Arc, the middle child in a family of three girls. Most days, her home buzzed with the laughter of siblings and neighbors playing games, the clatter of pots and pans as her mother prepared the evening meal. As a computer-engineering student at the National University of Rwanda, Jeanne d’Arc was often busy with her books, deep in her studies.

Today, however, was beginning to feel different.

In the distance, she could see them coming, a van filled with several of her classmates and a group of Americans. They were to be her family’s guests for a meet-and-greet of sorts -- or so she thought.

Jeanne d’Arc introduced her mother and siblings to their visitors – among them, Justin Zoradi, the founder of These Numbers Have Faces. Several years ago when Rwandan government scholarships were cut short, Jeanne d’Arc thought her dreams of finishing university would be, as well. However, when she heard of the opportunity to receive a Leadership Loan and support through These Numbers Have Faces, her hopes were rekindled. For the last two years she has been a These Numbers Have Faces scholar.

When Justin asked everyone to gather around for a special announcement, Jeanne d’Arc watched as cameras were pulled out of bags, neighbors coming out of their homes to see what all the commotion was about.

Standing beside Jeanne d’Arc, Justin began to speak about These Numbers Have Faces’ new partnership with Amazon and Lab126, which manufactures Amazon’s innovative tablet, Kindle.

“What we’re so excited to announce is that Jeanne d’Arc has now been fully funded by Lab126,” Justin said, revealing a certificate with Jeanne d’Arc as the Lab126 Scholar. “And this company has also offered Jeanne d’Arc an internship next summer in California.”

Jeanne d’Arc brought her hands to her eyes, wiping the tears that began to roll down her cheeks.

For a young woman from rural Rwanda, the opportunity to intern for one of the world’s leading technology companies was never supposed to be part of her story. As her desire to help her community through the power of technology has grown over the years, however, Jeanne d’Arc could only trust that those dreams would someday come to fruition, even if she wasn’t sure how.

As her mother and sister came to join her in front of the now small crowd, Jeanne d’Arc began to realize the potential of what was to come.

Yes, this was an unlikely story, but Jeanne d’Arc knew that this story was indeed the beginning of her own – the story of a future filled with hope.

Watch the video of Jeanne d'Arc's internship surprise here! http://youtu.be/dObY2bmXXJA 

**Jeanne d’Arc and the staff at These Numbers Have Faces are so thankful for her opportunity to work with the engineers at Lab126 in summer 2015. This week, Jeanne d’Arc took time to talk with us about her inspiration and what she hopes to learn from her internship.**

Have you always been passionate about technology?

Yes, I have been passionate about technology from the time I was in high school. I would say the internet started my passion, because every time I would get access to the internet I would fall in love with every bit of a computer, thus creating my passion for technology.

Did your childhood influence your desire to pursue a college education?

Yes, my childhood influenced my desire to pursue a college education because I could see how much my parents struggled to put food on the plate for me and my siblings until they went back to school to get a degree, which made me realize that a college degree, or education in general, can change your life.

When did you first get the idea to create an app to help Rwandans buy bus tickets via their mobile phones?

I first got the idea of creating a mobile app last year in an innovation competition. I got my inspiration from my dad because he always tells me that I should always try and do something that can help other people.

When Justin told you that Lab126 was offering you an internship, what was the first thing you thought of?

Honestly, I don't even know what was thinking. A lot of things were running through my mind like, ‘What if this is all a dream? What if it's really true? Is this really happening?’ But all in all, I was so happy beyond measure and I am still glad that I have this amazing opportunity.

What you expect to learn from your internship? How do you think it will help with your future?

I expect to learn a lot from my internship, like learning more about how Lab126 manufactures their products, connecting with people that can help me in any problems that I may have, and boosting my work experience.

I think this internship will help me in the future because after this internship, I suspect that I will have learned a lot of things that I may have never known, otherwise. This will greatly improve my skills, which I believe will lead me to a bright future.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your inspiration and hope for the future?

I would to tell all my fellow people to always have hope and trust in God because there is nothing we can do without his love, grace and Mercy.

I would like to tell everyone that hard work is the key to success. No matter how smart anyone is, without hard work, nothing amazing can be accomplished.

Be a man of your word.

It’s a lesson Duma learned from an early age growing up in Eastern Cape, bouncing from house to house when tragedy struck his family, a value practiced even when needs were great and resources few.

With little access to electricity, clean water, and some days, food, Duma’s childhood was spent working hard to support his family: mother, grandmothers, aunt and sisters.

When he wasn’t helping out at home, Duma poured himself into his studies, believing that if he excelled he could one day go to university.

With the help of a Leadership Loan from These Numbers Have Faces, Duma is now studying chemistry at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

While his college studies have him some 1,000 kilometers away from Eastern Cape, Duma is still closely connected to his home. In fact, his dream of bringing positive change there is stronger than ever.

Last year, when Duma learned about the high rate of rape and murder of women and children in his hometown, he was appalled. 

According to a humanitarian news organization of the United Nations, there is an estimated 500,000 rapes committed annually in South Africa. The country also has one of the highest incidents of child rape in the world.

The facts and figures were a devastating reality to Duma.

“Every time I hear or read on the media about crimes against children and women, I just get touched and feel that this is not OK,” Duma said. “After all, we live in a country where we say we are free, but some people are not, as they fear for their lives and sexual purity.”

As a brother to two younger sisters, as a son and grandson to women who had sacrificed so much to raise him, Duma refused to let the statistics go unchanged. He was determined to do something about it.

Despite the distance and the long hours required of his studies, Duma conceived the idea of a protest march in his hometown, Sterkspruit. More than a demonstration by the community, Duma wanted the event to be an opportunity for men to stand against the crimes committed against women.

With support from his friends in Sterkspruit, Duma wrote to the Department of Social Development and contacted local law enforcement to obtain permission for the march.

Some days it seemed as if the march was a distant dream, too much for a college student and his friends to carry out. But Duma persisted, determined to fulfill his promise, to be a man of his word. 

On the day of the march, a bright September morning, Duma and other men from his community walked through town, holding a banner that read, “Stop Women and Child Abuse.”

Together, they demanded mercy and morals.
Together, they challenged men to serve as protectors.
Together, they called for change.

At the end of the march Duma handed the police station commander a memorandum he drafted. A journalist was close by to capture his words on live radio. 

In his message, Duma stated,

“As men of Sterkspruit at large […] we need to change our behavior […] this march is not a complaint to the civil servants or any governmental department, but a call to us to restore our dignity. Let us bring back ubuntu in us.” 

Ubuntu is a sacred word in South Africa meaning compassion and humanity, a word that Duma believes can change his community. We believe so, too.

Duma plans for the march to be an annual event until the abuse of women and children in his community has been eradicated. 

“I want to have another one next year because I want this to sink in people’s minds that we need to have peace with one another and morals as men,” Duma said. “Even Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took Nelson Mandela and other heroes years of fighting for this freedom we are enjoying today.”

Duma serves as a role model in his community and we feel so fortunate to know him as a These Numbers Have Faces scholar.