Improve Education for 400 Children on Idjwi Island

We have just completed a thrilling year at the Buhumba Village primary school on Idjwi Island.  Nearly 500 kids finished the school year in the brand new classroom building, and we expect an even larger enrollment in the fall.  

This spring, our leadership visited the school for a formal dedication ceremony with the school director, teachers, community and school leaders, and our local representatives.  We saw how thrilled and proud the students are to have this new classroom building. We saw the ongoing construction of the new latrines that will be open in this fall. We learned that the enrollment in the early grades is growing so fast that we will need to build even more new desks.  And we talked to the school community about its responsibility to continue to sustain the school and its programs.  

This visit also helped us to focus our future efforts to provide the school with resources that will allow the children to thrive. We agree with the school leaders' recommendations that essential future programs will include the expansion and implementation of a public health/nutrition program, the construction of the administrative building. potable water, and teacher enrichment and training. 

We are busy at work on these programs.  We are currently planning a lengthy visit by our public health team to conduct thorough health assessments for the children, starting with the youngest kids.  We will have more details to share soon.

We are excited that these kids have a worthy classroom building. We have lots more work to do.  Thank you for joining us on this journey.