As the former orphanage students attended the Duha Complex School, we aligned our efforts to support the school’s vision of becoming a distinguished twelve-year basic education institution in the Rwamagana District. Today, the Duha School stands as an exemplary institution with robust infrastructure, trained educators, and a range of learning enrichment initiatives. Notably, it boasts the sole twelve-year basic education school in the entire Rwamagana District equipped with a basketball court and a community center. Derived from the African proverb, “It takes a whole village to raise a child,” and drawing on our experiences, we recognized that student education alone was insufficient to drive positive social change in the Musha community. Consequently, in 2018, we expanded our mission to include a community development component. The INEZA (kindness) Community Center and Library was constructed within the same community, evolving into a central hub for diverse education enrichment and community development programs. These initiatives range from model farms and an early childhood program to a mobile library that extends its reach to nine community churches, offering literacy activities to children in Sunday schools. In 2022, we secured a grant to revitalize the Ihuriro Community Center, a facility that had been abandoned for two years. The renovated building now pulsates with vitality, serving as a workshop for our tailoring programs and a venue for a spectrum of community development projects. Simultaneously, the grant facilitated the establishment and support of a sewing cooperative primarily comprising unemployed women from the community. These women underwent training in sewing and have successfully launched their own sewing businesses. This year marked the initiation of our Tailoring Vocational Training Center, designed to provide at-risk youth from challenging backgrounds with a comprehensive yearlong training encompassing tailoring, business management, and social-emotional competencies.
Our newest initiative, the SEED Project ( Strengthening Entrepreneurship, Equity, and Dignity), supported by a start-up grant from the U.S. Embassy, supports the spirit of community resilience and leadership. From the ashes of an abandoned building, REAP is assisting the renovation of this site, activating a sewing cooperative, addressing the need for sustainable sanitary napkins, and raising gender equity.