Gender Equality Rwanda Project #5891

Empower women in Africa through higher education!

by These Numbers Have Faces

Empower women in Africa through higher education!

Project Report | Aug 21, 2026
Meet Acqueline

By Jim Pressnell | Executive Director

Acqueline is the lastborn in a family of four children. She lost her father at the age of thirteen. She believes everything happens for a reason, which helps her always to be optimistic and stay strong, ready to fight for the best for her family, the community, and the world at large.

She was born and raised in the Gakenke district of Rwanda’s Northern province. Like other people in her community, her family’s basic needs were supported through domestic animal farming and crop cultivation. She has two brothers and one sister. Despite their financial difficulties, with the exception of her sister, they were all able to complete secondary school with the aid of scholarships.

Acqueline was the only one in her family able to continue her studies at the univeristy level. She's so thankful for the encouragement she received from her family. She refused to let the trust they put in her go in vain. Aqueline worked hard, graduating in 2025 from the University of Rwanda with a degree in dental surgery. Growing up, she saw so many gaps in Rwanda's healthcare, which made her passionate about becoming a healthcare provider. Her heart is to provide the best dental surgery care possible for people, with the goal of improving their lives and their health. She's become a strong advocate for the people in her community. She encourages youth to love education as it’s the key to success and advocates when necessary.

Earlier this spring, Acqueline received some amazing news. She learned she was accepted to the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) to pursue a Master's Degree in Global Health Delivery in Social and Community Medicine. She attributes her success to her time as a These Numbers Have Faces Scholar. She says These Numbers Have Faces gave her the confidence and the leadership skills necessary to be successful at this level.

Seeing Aqueline's success as she pursues advanced studies in Global Health Delivery is such a powerful reminder of the impact These Numbers Have Faces makes not only in the lives of our students, but in their communities and countries as well. We're so proud of Acqueline!

Please help us equip and empower the young women in our program so they can be just as successful as Acqueline!

Links:

http://www.thesenumbers.org

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May 6, 2026
Meet Doreen

By Jim Pressnell | Executive Director

Doreen

Doreen is the third child in a family of nine kids. Due to the1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, and as the oldest daughter, she took on caring for her younger siblings as other family members were no longer alive. Doreen carried many extra responsibilities as a child because she was left in charge of her family. For Doreen, African cultural expectations meant that, even with two older brothers, she should be in charge of the household. Doreen didn’t see this as a problem, as it helped her develop a sense of responsibility and maturity. While Doreen developed good traits from this experience, she also became reserved and anti-social. At school Doreen was shy, but it made her work harder because she didn’t want to disappoint her family. She tried to be brave and independent.

Doreen excelled. She tried hard to balance school and home responsibilities. She earned good marks and was able to continue her studies. In 2025, Doreen graduated from the University of Rwanda with a degree in Information Technology. Doreen is passionate about fighting Genocide ideology, as she watched her parents experience a lot of pain related to the Genocide. She doesn’t want the next generation to grow up with incomplete families. Doreen very much wants to be an influencer.

While a TNHF scholar, Doreen truly set the bar for excellence, earning recognition as the TNHF Best Female Performer in the 2024-2025 academic year for her consistent academic performance and her personal discipline. The University of Rwanda also recognized her outstanding performance. So, in addition to graduating among the top female performers in her class, she was personally recommended by the university for a key role in Rwanda’s most ambitious project yet. Since this past February, Doreen has been serving as the Information Technology Officer at the new Kigali International Airport in Bugesera, roughly 23 km Southeast of Kigali. This isn't just a construction site. It’s the future of Rwanda. With Phase 1 set to launch in 2028, this multi-billion dollar airport project is expected to be one of the largest airports in Africa, handling millions of passengers, turning Rwanda into the definitive aviation hub for the entire region. Doreen is right at the heart of it, managing the critical IT systems and network infrastructure that keep a project of this scale moving forward! Doreen says her time as a TNHF scholar gave her the professional skills and confidence to secure this incredible position.

Seeing Doreen in this critical role, providing technical support for one of the largest infrastructure projects in Rwanda’s history, a project that will connect Rwanda to the world, is such a powerful reminder of the impact TNHF makes not only in the lives of our students, but in their communities and countries as well. We’re so proud of her!

Please help us equip and empower the young women in our program so they can be just as successful as Doreen!

Links:

These Numbers Have Faces website

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Jan 20, 2026
Meet Denyse

By Jim Pressnell | Executive Director

Denyse

Denyse was born to a family devastated by the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. The trauma and the wounds ran deep, causing her family to try and heal one day at a time. Denyse grew up in a family of 11 -- her Mom and Dad, herslef and six siblings, as well as two cousins. Denyse’s father supports their family by working as a farmer. Life wasn't easy. It was hard to provide school fees for nine kids, as well as providing enough to pay for other living expenses. Denyse admires her hard-working Dad!

After seeing how her dad sacrificed himself and worked hard to support their family, Denyse dreamed of living not only for herself, but to live her life serving her community. She has worked hard and studied hard so she can become someone who contributes meaningfully in her society, making a difference in the lives of those around her. Denyse is passionate about improving people’s health, so she studied Nursing.

This past academic year, Denyse served as one of our two TNHF student representatives. The job of the student representative is to serve as a leader, spokesperson, and liaison between our students and our staff. The student representative represents all of our students in all aspects of our program. Denyse demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout her time in this role.

A recent graduate, Denyse immediately secured a position as a School Nurse at Path to Success International School in Kigali. Denyse shared the selection process was highly competitive, but she emerged as the top candidate. She credits the TNHF Leadership Development workshops for building her confidence and giving her the professional skills that enabled her to secure this position.

Denyse is also passionate about teamwork. She sings in a choir and is part of a traditional dance troupe.

Please help us equip and empower the young women in our program so they can be just as successful as Denyse!

Links:

These Numbers Have Faces

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