DUBAI CARES
AT WORK IN RWANDA
Dubai Cares is a name synonymous
with
philanthropic
programmes
worldwide. Launched on 19 September
2007, as part of the Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives,
Dubai Cares is now posed as a key
player in advancing the United Nations
(UN) global education development
agenda. The UN’s aim is to ensure
inclusive and quality education for
all by 2030. The UAE-based global
philanthropic organisation has, to
date, successfully launched education
programs reaching and influencing
over 18 million beneficiaries in 57
developing countries.
In 2017, Dubai Cares ventured into a
new frontier, Rwanda, a landlocked
country located in East Central
Africa. There, two new education-
based programmes, in collaboration
with its local partners, Educate! and
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO),
were launched. Through these two
programmes, Dubai Cares, with
its partners, set in motion, a vision
designed to address the challenging
education paradigm of Rwanda,
from opposite ends of the education
cycle, being; Preparing and equipping
children to succeed in school from an
early age, through the provision of an
effective Early Childhood Education
programme, to empowering young
people who are preparing to venture
into the world of work, with knowledge
and skills that will enable them to
succeed as partners in building a
developed Rwanda.
Education Sector Strategic Plan
(ESSP) 2011-2018, which is intended to
promote Early Childhood Education
(ECE). It identifies, among other things,
the lack of good ECE in Rwanda as
the root cause of shortcomings in
the primary education system. It also
emphasises the need to target the
roll-out of ECE provision in the poorest
communities and locations.
With this backdrop in mind,
Nyamasheke
district
in
the
Western Province of Rwanda was
given preference, as a recipient of
education-based aid, by Dubai Cares,
working in partnership with VSO.
The district was identified as lagging
behind the national average in many
socio-economic indicators, which is
evidenced by its high levels of need.
Our first visit was at Pre-Primary
for Ngoboka, in Nyamasheke, an
inclusive ECE centre, where Dubai
Cares funded the construction of
two new classrooms. The small, but
clean Pre-Primary for Ngoboka is one
of the 30 model ECE centres which
have been set to serve as exemplars
of best practice and centres of
ECE learning. The SSRR Project has
adopted a holistic approach which
enables it to effectively engage with
all stakeholders, in promoting ECE by
improving; quality of teaching in the
30 model ECE schools, parent and
community engagement in the ECE
system and education governance
Dubai Cares Projects in Partnership
with VSO In Nyamasheke District
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Jan - Feb 2019
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Noticeable in the classrooms, was
the use of locally sourced materials,
innovatively harnessed to create
vibrant
teaching
and
learning
resources. Children could be seen
actively taking part in various learning
centre activities. Evidently present
and eager to voice their approval and
support for the establishment of the
ECE centre, were parents and other
members of the community at large.
Pre-Primary for Ngoboka
In October, 2018, a Dubai Cares team,
led by Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive
Officer at Dubai Cares, visited
Rwanda as part of its monitoring
and evaluation process, to witness
the progress of its two programmes
which were launched in 2017. Teach
Middle East was invited to join the
delegation. Below is a rundown of the
projects and the progress being made
in collaboration with its local partners
VSO and Educate!
The Strengthening Schools Readiness
Rwanda (SSRR) project, was designed
to support the Rwandan government’s
and leadership in Nyamasheke. The
ECE model has also been designed
to provide inclusive education for
children with special needs.
Pupils in the company of their teacher, perform a
lovely dance, in front of their newly constructed
classroom, as a welcome to their guests
After The Bell
Signage to Pre-Primary of
Ngoboka in recognition of it’s
partners Dubai Cares and VSO
Pupils interacting at one of
the Learning Centres set up
in their classroom