Helping Rwandan Children out of Poverty

Girls Hygiene Programme

Our target of constructing a Girls Hygiene Unit at each of our none partner schools in Bugarama has now been achieved. In addition we have supplied five schools with water tanks to ensure better water supply and funded a two-day training workshop for school matrons during the Easter holiday.

Last year’s Ubumwe Evaluation study provided strong evidence of the impact of this scheme. Here is an extract from the report:

Across all nine Ubumwe schools, matrons emerged as quiet yet powerful agents of change, serving as mentors, counsellors, and protectors of girls’ dignity. Their testimonies reveal that before the Ubumwe Project, menstruation was one of the most common causes of absenteeism and dropout among adolescent girls. Many came from families unable to afford sanitary pads or soap, and some were mocked or ashamed when menstruation started unexpectedly. “Before, a girl would hide at home for a week,” one matron recalled. “Now she walks proudly to the girls’ room, cleans herself, and goes back to class.”

The construction of girls’ rooms, safe, private, and well-equipped spaces stocked with dignity kits containing reusable pads, soap, towels, and underwear, has been among the project’s most transformative achievements. Matrons in schools such as GS Kibangira, St Paul Muko, and GS Pera described how these facilities have “given girls back their confidence.” Attendance and academic participation have improved markedly, and teachers now observe girls “sitting in front, answering questions, and leading clubs.” In several schools, girls who previously dropped out have re-enrolled and now mentor their peers.

Beyond hygiene, matrons provide daily counselling and emotional support. Most attend to 5–10 girls per day for issues ranging from cramps and fear of menstruation to family conflict, trauma, or abuse. Some receive girls from homes affected by prostitution or violence, patiently guiding them toward self-esteem and safe behaviour. “We counsel with a mother’s heart,” one said.

Matrons also described strong partnerships among teachers, parents, churches, and local authorities. Together, they have reintegrated children from the streets, trained parents through PTA meetings, and maintained school gardens and livestock that provide food for vulnerable learners. “We no longer hide these girls; we help them, and the community helps too,” a matron at Ryankana explained.

What stands out most in their voices is the pride of purpose. Matrons see themselves as guardians of girls’ dignity, the bridge between school and home.

In September David Musendo and his team from Lifetime Consulting spent a week in Bugarama  carrying out surveys, focus group discussions, interviews and observation to evaluate the impact of our three-year Ubumwe Project. Their report highlighted that the success of the project was down to the collective approach of the Bugarama schools:

Positive changes were driven primarily by strong local leadership, active community participation and a shared sense of ownership. While HATWJ and JOA provided critical seed funding, the project’s effectiveness depended on the   commitment of teachers, parents, learners, local leaders and faith-based institutions.

Validation Workshop As a follow-up, a two-day workshop was held in Bugarama in   November led by David Musendo of Lifetime Consulting and attended by over 30 representatives of school leaders, teachers, parents, sector authorities and project partners. Mike Haden, HATWJ Chairman, and Dr Simon Mbarushimana, founder of RSVP, our original contact with Bugarama schools, also attended. The purpose of the Workshop was twofold:

• assess the resonance of the findings with the local reality
• explore priorities and strategic directions for a potential Ubumwe II.

Future priorities Three key priorities emerged from discussions:

Vocational training: Ubumwe II was seen as an opportunity to strengthen education-to-livelihood pathways, particularly for over-aged learners, former street-connected children, learners with disabilities and youth who do not transition to formal secondary education.

Inclusion of learners with disabilities: While Ubumwe has made progress in supporting vulnerable learners, participants identified persistent gaps in specialized learning facilities, trained teachers and support staff, assistive learning materials and early identification and referral systems.

Family Economic Empowerment: Participants were clear that sustainable education outcomes cannot be achieved without addressing family-level constraints that directly affect learners. Areas for strengthening in Ubumwe II include income generating activities linked to education outcomes and parent engagement particularly around disability and inclusion.

Potential way forward.

The Diocese has purchased a plot of land on the outskirts of Bugarama where they will relocate the church currently occupying the centre of St Paul Muko, freeing up much-needed space with in the school. They will offer part of this new land for a combined Vocational Training and Disability Inclusion centre. The Mayor and the Director of Education have both pledged support and collaboration.

It is clear that the development of such a Centre would be beyond the scope of any single grant from JOA but we hope to explore this collaboration and  the possibility of a contribution towards this objective.

 The Evaluation Report and the report of the Validation Workshop are available on our website at www.hatwj.org.uk.