Train rural youth in Rwanda to develop software!

With support from the German Embassy in Kigali, we refurbished the outdated smart classroom at Katarara Secondary School by the end of 2025, equipped it with 30 new laptops, and connected it to high-speed internet. When students returned after the Christmas break, a new coding club—implemented with the Software Development Training Center “The Gym”—started immediately. Another 30 students are now learning software development in a modern learning environment.

We now operate coding clubs at three schools, all with reliable internet access.

Funds raised through this platform, combined with other contributions, are used to:
• finance coding clubs
• provide two scholarships for a three-year vocational IT training
• cover initial installation costs for high-speed internet (with ongoing subscription costs covered by the Rwanda Basic Education Board)

We continue to expand our education activities: construction of the seventh smart classroom is currently underway, with the eighth planned for June. Target is that all eleven schools in our project area Juru Sector will have smart classrooms, fast internet and teachers trained to teach IT to their students.

The new school year in Rwanda began in September 2025, and it opened a fresh chapter for our growing digital education initiatives. Our successful coding club at Juru Secondary School is thriving, now complemented by a new three-year vocational program in Computer Systems Architecture, launched in partnership with the Software Training Center “the Gym.”

This year, we also brought coding to younger students by opening a new club at Gatora Primary School for grades 5 and 6—nurturing curiosity and digital skills right from the foundation years. Donations made through this platform, together with support from other partners, are already at work powering these programs.

And there is more ahead: a third coding club is planned to launch at Katarara Secondary School in January 2026.

Thanks to the Sustainable Villages Foundation, Juru Secondary School was able to offer its new IT vocational program to its first cohort. A private donation made it possible for one young woman and one young man to receive full scholarships for the entire three-year track. Meanwhile, the two scholarship recipients studying IT at Akagera International School have now entered their second academic year and continue to be supported by the Foundation.

Step by step, new opportunities are opening for these students—and with continued support, the impact can grow even further.