Every school in Rwanda has a Girls Safe Room and follows a nationwide program to keep girls in school as an “Nyampinga”, meaning “a girl who has obtained the Rwandan virtues” which focuses on Rwandan girls culture and values, on how a girl should be ‘brought up’.
27-year-old Esperance is a Burundi refugee and teacher at Paysannat L school in Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda’s Kirehe district, where 80% of the students are Burundian refugee children and 20% are from the Rwandan host community. Esperance plays an important role at the Girls Safe Room at Paysannat L where she teaches girls self confidence, awareness, how to avoid early pregnancy and to get a clear vision for their future.
Story and images for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Children all over the world need great teachers, but refugees need them all the more, as academic tutors yes but also as mentors, motivators, protectors and champions. Investing in a teacher of refugees is an investment in the futures of hundreds, if not thousands, of children.
For #WorldTeachersDay 5th October, I am celebrating these special people… stay tuned for their stories this week.
#teachersday #withrefugees #beinspired #school #untoldstories #lifechanging
Woman Photograph
Canon Central & North Africa
