By Michael Brotchner | Executive Director
Orphans of Rwanda, Inc. (ORI) provides the extremely talented students that you so generously support with four-year university scholarships and comprehensive services to help them succeed. Many are orphans of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the AIDS epidemic; all have overcome incredible challenges. We seek to empower them not only in their academic careers, but also in their personal and professional lives. The housing and healthcare components of our scholarship program are a critical part of this effort.
For all of our students, entrance into university is a major transition. Many of our students grew up either in orphanages or homes of little means. While we provide support for housing for all of our students, most live in group houses of 7-8 students each. These houses are a huge part of the ORI experience, as the students gain a support network instantaneously and develop close bonds with their housemates. Over the past month, I have visited many student houses in Rwanda and it’s been impressive to see not only the relationships among the students, but also how much pride the students take in the upkeep of their houses!
Healthcare for each student is also critical. Nearly all of the youth we support have grown up without sufficient healthcare and ORI is committed to ensuring that all of its students’ health needs are met. Your donations have helped support the provision of healthcare to two students who required hospitalization: one as the result of malaria, the other as a result of ulcers. Ulcers are fairly common amongst our students and its treatment is one of our main healthcare priorities. Our students’ overall health level, which is closely monitored by our full-time Health Services Officer, continues to improve.
You should all also know that ORI is currently in the process of selecting our next class of scholarship recipients. The team is interviewing 138 of the top candidates – 75 women and 63 men – out of a diverse pool of 1,500 applicants. Last year, we awarded 68 scholarships from a similar number of applicants. The new students will join our program this summer and will matriculate at universities across Rwanda in January of 2009. The GlobalGiving project will also support these new students.
I have been in Rwanda for the last few weeks, working with our team and our students. Each time I am here, I tell our students about their new supporters. Our students are always amazed and deeply grateful for all the support they receive from throughout the world. So, on their behalf, thank you very, very much for your gift to ORI through GlobalGiving!
Michael Brotchner Executive Director Orphans of Rwanda
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