Ishimwe was 5 years old when his parents died during the Rwandan genocide. He was raised by his grandmother Mariya along with her other children and grandchildren. Against the odds he excelled in school, went on to university and graduated third in his class. He is now a law clerk but is burdened by a high interest rate student loan which consumes a significant percent of his wages. Our goal is to help repay his debt so he can begin to make economic headway.
A cornerstone of our mission is to assure quality primary and secondary education for the children in the families we serve. We helped do so for Ishimwe, but he had to incur a high interest rate student loan to attend university. The combination of the high interest rate and his low wages as a law clerk means he will be unable to repay his debt for at least 10 years.
Our assistance will ease some of Ishimwe's university debt burden so he can fulfill his dream of becoming an attorney, a significant accomplishment for a genocide survivor. He can then begin to build a life of his own, with economic independence as the reward for his perseverance in the face of unimaginable challenges for the last twenty years.
Sustainable peace in Rwanda can only be achieved by rebuilding its social and familial structure along with its economic and physical infrastructure. Investment in education helps break the crushing cycle of poverty, improving the lives of families and strengthening the social fabric of the community. We invest in education, job skills training, and entrepreneurship opportunities to enable our Rwandan families to build their own better lives.
