Launching a new scholarship program for girls in Rwanda

The Women and Girls Initiative Scholarship Program sends 41 young women and girls back to school in rural Rwanda.

Some of the recipients of a new scholarship for young women and girls in Rwanda.

By Grace K. Ryan, Department of Community Health and Social Development, Partners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima Rwanda

The “New Life” club is starting to live up to its name, according to Marie*, age 18, an orphan and unwed mother from the Nyamirama sector of Eastern Rwanda. Next week, she and 40 other at-risk girls ages 12 to 19 from her sector will be starting school for the first time in years, formally launching the Women and Girls Initiative scholarship program.

The Women and Girls Initiative was founded in 2009 by Didi Bertrand-Farmer, Director of Community Health and Social Development at Partners In Health’s Rwandan sister organization, Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB). “The objective,” Ms. Bertrand-Farmer says, “is to produce girls who are independent, who have access to information so that they can make healthy decisions about their lives.” With the help of local authorities, health center staff, and representatives from IMB, over 120 out-of-school girls in Nyamirama sector were organized into six clubs, including “New Life.” These clubs meet weekly to discuss health and reproductive issues, offering peer-to-peer psychosocial support and a platform for health outreach programs organized through the health center.

“But this is only the beginning,” says Ms. Bertrand-Farmer. “We want to eliminate barriers to education for these girls and ensure their economic independence.” IMB is currently seeking partnerships with local and international organizations experienced in vocational training, micro-finance, and women’s cooperatives, in order to empower the girls economically. In the meantime, the clubs have identified 41 members who are ready to complete their education. These girls will receive school fee support, uniforms, sanitary products, and other necessary materials to continue their schooling.

“Educating a girl is important,” explains Marie, “because a girl who can go to school can find work and money for her future. Otherwise she will look to a man to give her money.” These are not empty words.

After the traffic accident that killed both of her parents ten years ago, Marie was adopted by a single mother of seven, named Therèse. Now in her fifties and often in poor health, Therèse struggles to provide for her family as a farmer. Two years ago, she realized she could no longer afford her children’s school fees. Marie was forced to drop out of secondary school, and became pregnant not long afterward.

The links between health, poverty, and education are palpable in the stories of girls like Marie, who show not only remarkable resilience, but also creativity in the face of adversity. Another scholarship beneficiary, Lucille, also age 18, describes a special support system her club has developed. Each of the 20 members tries to bring 100 Rwandan Francs (about 17 cents) to their meetings, to be pooled together and donated to a different girl each week. With the 2,000 francs ($3.30) collected, she can buy hygiene and sanitary products. “So we don’t rely on men,” Lucille explains.

In the Rwandan health system, community health workers are responsible for pregnant women, infants, and children up to age five, but adolescents must rely on school programs for health education. Girls who cannot afford school fees are not only economically vulnerable, they are also lost to the health system until they become pregnant—which is often all too soon. With limited access to the cash economy, girls struggling to make ends meet in rural communities may leverage their romantic relationships in order to survive. They may not fully understand the potential consequences—a teenage pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection—or how to protect themselves.

Girls in Nyamirama are particularly vulnerable. The sector was hard hit by Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, leaving a rash of HIV-infection and many child-headed households in its wake. Of the girls who will be returning to school next week, 10 percent are orphans, and a further 68 percent have only one living parent. Among those girls who do have two living parents, 33 percent have at least one parent who is incapacitated by illness or disability. Many of the girls themselves bear the scars of conflict, including Lucille, who was wounded in the leg as an infant during the genocide.

When asked if she might have become pregnant even if she had been enrolled in school over the past two years, Marie responds with a firm “No,” adding, “It’s time to change ideas.” She plans to take advantage of this educational opportunity to pursue a career as a deputy in local government, so that she can help development in her sector move forward, even as she helps herself, her baby daughter, and her adopted family.

As Partners In Health Co-Founder Dr. Paul Farmer writes, “You will never break the cycle of poverty or disease without educating girls.” For the girls of the Nyamirama Women and Girls Initiative, scholarships are a humble first step.

*The names of the participants have been changed to protect their privacy.

"PIH/IMB staff and partners from Nyamirama Health Center and local government, with scholarship recipients and their parents.