Nyamata School Takes Shape

Mike Hughes and Don Macdonald of Energis visited the site of the school in Nyamata, accompanied by Rose Kabuye and James Vuningoma of RUGO Rwanda and Gaspard Musonera the Bourgmestre of Kanzenze Commune. The photographs illustrate the construction achieved to date by the Rwandan Ministry of Education. Construction has been a bit slower than originally hoped due to budget restrictions from the Ministry but steady progress has been made and the photographs illustrate the first six blocks of school completed to roof level.

The Minister of Education, Emmanuel Mudidi, confirmed during the visit that funding continues to be available to complete these classroom blocks and a grant is now available from the African Development Bank to build the next blocks of the school which will be the workshops. The six buildings constructed to date will eventually be the main classroom blocks.

RUGO has set itself the task of raising funds to support the equipping of four departments of the school namely: Masonry and Construction; Motor Vehicle Repair; IT; and Tailoring. We commenced our fund raising in April last year and also completed a project proposal appealing for funds from grant making bodies and companies.

The funds we have secured to date amount to £37K, which includes a grant of £25K from the Tudor Trust. Donations have been received from many companies and individuals including RMCand in addition support has been received from: Energis who have provided sponsorship through their Chairman's Award scheme; National Grid Company and George Wimpey who have donated computing equipment; and Alfred McAlpine who have offered to help with provision of secondhand tools and equipment.