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ORI is dedicated to helping orphans and other socially vulnerable young people in Rwanda pursue a university education and ultimately become leaders in driving economic development and social reconciliation.  
Yvette: ORI Graduate & New EntrepreneurOne of our terrific interns in Kigali, Nicholas Cain, just sent the following update about a young woman who will be one of Orphans of Rwanda’s first college graduates: Yvette Nyinawumuntu. Read on! The Rwanda Youth Gathering, organized by the Lutheran Church of Rwanda and the Lutheran World Federation, convened here in Kigali on March 28th. ORI was proud to have two students, Yvette Nyinawumuntu and Julliet Busingye, among the approximately 100 young people who attended the weekend-long conference. The inter-faith event drew participants from Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and the U.S.; its overarching mission was to foster dialogue about peace, reconciliation, and the alleviation of poverty. Yvette is a member of ORI’s first scholarship class and she will soon graduate from the Independent University of Kigali with a degree in sociology. Today, I had the opportunity to chat with Yvette about her experience at the Rwanda Youth Gathering. more… Accountants in Rwanda: cooler than everIn the U.S., accountants have a reputation for being boring number-crunchers — the last people you would invite to a dinner party. Accountants also tend to get short shrift in the public imagination, as the only times you hear the words “innovative accountant” usually accompany the words “massive corporate fraud.” Good thing nobody has told one of our scholarship recipients, Theophile Namahoro, that his desired profession is so unfairly maligned. Theophile is a second-year student studying accounting at the School of Finance and Banking. more… The real campaign: ORI students choose their leaders!Before I arrived in Rwanda last week, everyone asked me what I was most looking forward to doing during my trip. My answer to that question didn’t take much thought, as I couldn’t wait for the all-student meeting, which took place this past weekend. Aside from seeing our students all together, which I knew would be wonderful, I was aware that something special would be happening at this meeting: student government elections! There were a number of posts up for grabs – President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The students were also electing leaders of the Events Committee, Disciplinary Committee, representatives for their universities, and representatives for each of the group houses where our students live. The proceedings were led by Charles Habonimana, the outgoing President, who attends the Universite Libre de Kigali (ULK). He ran the entire show, explaining how the electoral process would work and how the candidates would present themselves. more… View all Posts »
ORI volunteer profiled in SF ChronicleThe San Francisco Chronicle recently profiled Simin Marefat, one of Orphans of Rwanda’s most amazing volunteers. In addition to discussing her tremendous work with ORI, the article describes her volunteer experiences throughout the world and her life story. Read the piece here. ORI in the New York Times!Read Josh Ruxin’s piece on ORI, university education in Rwanda, and one of our star students. View all Recent Updates » |
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"ORI is helping to address a critical need by supporting higher education for vulnerable youth in Rwanda. I know the ORI team well and we have built a collaboration based on the shared belief that high-quality education and health care can help Rwanda transform its future."
- Dr. Paul Farmer Founder of Partners In Health and subject of the best-selling book Mountains Beyond Mountains |