School Sponsorship

School system in Rwanda

In Rwanda, the school year starts in January and ends in November, with two breaks consisting of two weeks each during the year. At the primary level, which is grade one to grade six, each child has the right to attend public school, an institution administered by the state. It costs between 6,000 and 8,000 rwandan francs (between 15 and 20 dollars Canadian) to cover the cost of admission. Families that cannot afford to pay this amount can still send their children to school, but the children are not allowed to write exams and don't receive a report card. There are also a number of private schools, but they are usually substantially more expensive. At the end of sixth grade, the children must pass a State exam to determine if they will be accepted into secondary school. Only the children who pass the exam are admitted into secondary school. Admission for children whose families were victims of the genocide is covered by the government.  For families with students who failed the grade six exam, they must find a private school that will accept their children, and they must also pay very high tuition costs.

Our sponsorship program

The sponsorship program, much like the food bank, is a temporary program instituted to assist the widows of the village to regain self sufficiency. By sending their children to the daycare or to school, the mothers have the opportunity to return to the work force. By sponsoring a child, you are also helping his/her mother.

Elementary level

Since the beginning of the program in 2005, it has cost $100 per year to send a child to elementary school. This amount covers the cost of admission, of two school uniforms, of a gym uniform, a good pair of shoes, as well as a backpack filled with school supplies. Also, $5 is put aside to purchase a small gift for the child for "foster parent day", an event created to recognize the generosity of those who make donations to Ubuntu Edmonton. Due to the rising cost of living, the amount required to sponsor a child for 2009 has risen to $110.

Secondary school level

For children in high school, the cost is $250 per year. This increase is due to the cost of school supplies required at this level, combined with the fact that the children live away from home; all high schools being boarding schools. In Rwanda, once the child has passed the state exam to graduate from elementary to secondary school, the government will place the child in a school. The problem is that the child may be placed anywhere in the country, and could be far from family. With this in mind, aside from regular school supplies, we also purchase a small mattress, a pillow and personal hygiene products for the child.

Additional information

When sponsoring a child, you will receive a thank you letter on behalf of the mothers, as well as a photo with a personal file indicating the child's name, assigned number and grade.  It is also possible for us to send the final report card if requested by the sponsor. If the sponsor wishes, they are also welcome to write to their sponsored child. Because the children only speak Kinyarwanda, the letters need to be translated, which is a time consuming task, therefore they should be kept short. Letters should be sent to our local Edmonton address, where they will be opened, translated, and sent to the Centre César to be distributed to the sponsored children. Ubuntu Edmonton discourages sending gifts.  As previously mentioned, five dollars of your sponsorship donation is used to purchase a gift for a special occasion, "foster parent day".

For further information, or if you have any questions, please contact:

Normand Doyon
Volunteer Director
Education Program