New Project: Duhugurane

I had a friend ask if I would help her develop some type of training for girls who are just graduating senior six, or high school seniors, while they are waiting for results. In the Rwandese school system, they take final exams mid-November and then wait until around mid-January to find out their results. It seems like everyone is always waiting on "results". After talking with a few people, I realized the significance. Test results at various ages will determine your future--where you will go to school, possibly what you will study and finally, what you will become when you grow up.

When the students who have graduated secondary school, or high school, are waiting for their exams; this determines whether they will be able to qualify for a scholarship to attend university. If they don't qualify for a scholarship, for many of them, that's the end of their education.

So I asked, what happens to the girls if they don't get a scholarship? My friend said that some will be someone's house staff, some will just stay home and take care of family, some will get jobs, some will get married and some will get pregnant.

Our goal is to spend a few weeks with them in the month of December, giving them the confidence and developing some skills to go on and be able to take on whatever they dream. Also, help them network with some Rwandese business women to gain the knowledge and be able to use them as a resource for when they have questions. But most importantly, show them that God made them uniquely wonderful and beautiful!

The project is still in the development stage, but I have brought on two interns from one of the local universities to help develop the content. I think it is important not only to give these universities students an opportunity to be a part of a social change project within their community, but also they are so close in age with these girls, they will better understand what these girls need to hear.

So the interns first assignment: come up with a name for the project. They presented many ideas, but we decided our favorite is: Duhugurane (pronounce: du-hu-gu-ra-neh). They tell me, the translation is "Let us expand them" or "Let us help them grow".

Please pray that the resources will be provided for us to really do everything we dream with the girls, for the direction to help "expand" these girls and the people to help make this possible.

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