Street Scholars: From The Streets to The Classroom

You are receiving this Project Report since you are a current supporter of MindLeaps (formerly RDDC) GlobalGiving Program: “Street Scholars – From The Streets to The Classroom”.

Eric’s favorite pastime activity at MindLeaps is reading the English dictionary. He is eager to learn, often asking his teachers to explain the meaning of complicated words like ‘perspective’ so that he can practice them on any foreign guest that comes to visit. He has also been leaping ahead in his IT and dance classes.

About Eric

Eric, a former street child, has been with MindLeaps for over a year. He comes from an impoverished family and chose to live on the streets because there was not enough money at home. He finished some of primary school, but dropped out when he wasn’t able to find enough food outside of class.

Like many of our students, Eric was a talented and charming adolescent when he started at MindLeaps. However, he was lacking the commitment and drive to help him fully succeed in our program or move forward in life. After a year, he has changed immensely. He now attends class every day and is always early – whether to practice new dance moves, send an email to one of the many volunteers he has befriended, or practice a new English phrase. Eric has also agreed to return home in order to help his mother and younger siblings. When asked why, he told us it is because of MindLeaps staff who listened to his problems and taught him the importance of helping his family, even when it is not easy.  

Learning the Secret to Success: Hard work and Commitment

Eric explained that he started coming to MindLeaps more consistently because he “wants to change his life.” At MindLeaps, he sees an opportunity to learn. An opportunity that he hasn’t found elsewhere. In addition to Dance, IT, and English, Eric also recently took part in a 6-week entrepreneurship course that was offered at MindLeaps through Digital Opportunity Trust Rwanda (DOT). Here he learned how to make an action plan for a business, design a budget, and save money. He is now inspired to start his own business one day.

Many of our other students have also begun to master the core MindLeaps value: that success is only possible through hard work and perseverance. This value, reinforced from the first day they walk into the dance studio, is fundamental in changing the thought processes and dreams of our students. Because of your support, students like Eric are growing at MindLeaps and preparing themselves for a better future. Instead of feeling disempowered and thinking about what they can get from society, our students are now empowered, displaying leadership values, and taking initiative in their own education. Thank you for making this change possible.

Links:

• MindLeaps Website
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Facebook

You are receiving this Project Report since you are a current supporter of MindLeaps (formerly RDDC) GlobalGiving Program: “Street Scholars – From The Streets to The Classroom”.

Rwanda rw’ejo

There are many names for street children in Kinyarwanda, but today, the public no longer refers to these kids as ‘maibobo’ (an offensive term), but as ‘Rwanda rw’ejo’ – the leading generation of Rwanda’s future.

Two Leaders: Jean de Dieu and Rene

MindLeaps is currently hosting two top dancers in Kigali: Mark and Ashley, of Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. They are providing special dance training for our local Rwandan teachers - a "train the trainers" workshop. Two of our top students, Jean de Dieu and Rene, have been given the special opportunity to attend this training. It is incredible to watch Jean de Dieu and Rene’s determination to pick up complicated dance steps at the same pace as their teachers. Their eagerness to learn is easily seen as they practice yesterday’s new moves over and over in the early morning hours before class.

These boys are natural leaders outside of the dance studio as well. Jean de Dieu is the brother to Passy, who is now succeeding at Sonrise boarding school (as highlighted in the last report). Jean de Dieu, who is twelve years old, began learning how to read and write for the first time when he joined MindLeaps last year. After dance class, Jean de Dieu, sits and copies letters of the alphabet from any simple book he can find. Just like in dance training, Jean de Dieu is determined to learn how to read and write, so that he can one day go to boarding school like his brother.

Rene, is often found looking after the young students in the program and restoring order in IT, English, and dance classes. Dancer, Ashley, saw that Rene was a natural leader in dance class and she had the opportunity to tell this to Rene’s mother during a visit to his home. Rene is a particular success story with MindLeaps. After attending our program for a year, he decided to leave the streets and return to his mother’s home in order to support his family. As a single mother of six children, life is not easy. Rene is the oldest in the family and works hard to take care of his younger siblings. His mother remarked that she is so thankful for the transformation that MindLeaps helped spark in Rene. As one of our top students, who has already come so far, we hope that Rene will one day be hired to join our team as a dance teacher– a solution that may lift his whole family out of poverty.

With their talent and motivation, we hope Jean de Dieu and Rene will one day teach dance to the next generation of street children. As they grow in self-esteem through dance and IT and continue to harness their leadership skills, there is no doubt that they will become the leaders of Rwanda’s future – rwanda rw’ejo.

Thank you for being a part of the future.

We would be grateful if you also considered sharing this project on Facebook and Twitter. 

Warm wishes and many thanks.

Links:

• Read Ashley and Mark's blogs on our facebook page
• Follow MindLeaps on Twitter