German version: http://studenten-alltag.blogspot.ch/2017/06/gute-schulbildung-fur-boris.html
Support Boris
How I got to know Boris (and the Story behind Boris):
In 2015, I had the great opportunity to do an
internship in Rwanda: Inyange Industries and Bourbon Coffee houses. I am a trained
Pastry Chef (international bakery and confectionary) with further study of food
technology. I organised these two internships by myself, privately (without
help from international internship organizations). Both internships together
lasted 5.5 weeks.
During my stay in Rwanda, I did not want to
live in a hotel as I felt that is something for tourists. I wanted to live in
the midst of the society, I wanted to get to know how Rwandan people think, how
they are and how they see the world.
I used Couchsurfing to search for people who
offer their couch or room. I found a nice woman, aged 36, living with her
family in Kigali, offering a room with a bed, table and chair. I offered in
advance to pay rent, but she refused saying “that’s not what we Africans do, we
do not take money for that”. I asked if
I could at least pay for food? “Yes, you
can go by yourself into the supermarket and buy some food for the family with
your money, that is alright, but I do not take money from you”
Marie- Paule, that is her name, didn’t know me
before, but from the beginning she treated me like a family member. I gained
insight into her daily structure and after a while she told me more about her
life.
Marie Paule was 13 when her mom (a Tutsi) died
in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Her mom was killed in front of Marie-Paule’s
innocent, young eyes. Her father (a Hutu)
survived, he was known as “a good man”, integrated into the society, even when
he married a Tutsi woman. That is why they spared his life.
Marie -Paule became a fighter, studied hard and
did well. Her father tried to do everything to enable her to have a good school
education. She reached a Bachelors degree, studying political and
administrative sciences. She got married and gave birth to two children, Boris and
Brian. After several years, and after a change in law (Rwandan women got the
right to get legally divorced from their husbands) she applied for a divorce.
As she told me, her ex-husband did not work (he was able to, he just did not
want to), and all the money they had was
from Marie-Paule’s income. He didn’t
look after the children, but spent all the money for himself. The family had a
good income, but was simultaneously poor. In Addition, all responsibility and
family organisation weighed heavily on Marie-Paule. Getting divorced as a woman
in Rwanda is legally accepted, but within the society she experienced trouble. Many
family members did not agree with her decision, but she went through it, never
giving up on a better life for herself and her two sons.
When I lived with her, she was already employed
for 3.5 years with the American Refugee Committee as Human resources, Administrative
and Communications Manager. She earned enough money to pay rent for a small
house, having a nanny and a houseboy who were looking after the kids and doing
housework while she was working from 8am to 6pm. Her elder son, Boris, went to
a private Christian school. Despite the fact that education is free for
everyone in Rwanda, the level of the education they get is one of the lowest in
the world. According to the Human
Development Report (HDI, 2010), Rwanda is ranked at 152 out of 169 in “low
human development” categorised countries. So families try their best and work
hard to send their children to private schools. The better the education a
child receives, the better it is for the whole family in the future.
Legally, Boris’ father is responsible for paying
for his son’s educational development, but he does not. Marie-Paule has never
asked him for money for herself or for feeding the children. She only asked for him to give educational
support for his son – to pay tuition fees directly to Boris’ school, but for
many years, he has refused to offer any support towards his son’s education.
I got to know Boris well when I stayed in
Marie-Paule’s home. Every day at 6pm he arrived home from school. He ate
something and then he sat down and did his homework. He was 7 years old and in
Primary 1. I was amazed. He spoke fluent French (his mom taught him), quite
good English and, of course, their national language Kinyarwanda. He was very
focused on school and his marks. He told me he wants to become a physician.
 |
| Boris, while we were making Pizza together |
Marie- Paule has managed these hard situations
well, but in early 2015 something changed.
She got a new manager at work and felt that things began to change with
obligatory remarks, misunderstandings, feeling of harassment from her manager
and some other colleagues. On a Thursday
in August 2015, Marie-Paule’s manager gave her a letter saying that she had to
leave the city of Kigali and move to Huye within three days. The company would give
her around $280 for relocation costs. She had to start a new job within the
company, which was a demotion from a management position to an assistant’s role
the following Monday. She refused because Huye is located in the south of
Rwanda, 134 km away from Kigali, taking around 3-4 hours to travel there by car.
Her son went to school in Kigali. She had a houseboy employed, a flat for rent.
She was not able to organise this kind of movement with her family in only
three days (I saw this letter myself and would not have believed it otherwise because
things like this are just not legal in the Western world).
Three months later, she was without a job in a
place where unemployment runs ramped, even for well-educated individuals. In
2012, Rwanda’s unemployment rate was only 3.4%. Now, in 2017, the unemployment
rate has increased to 13.2%, which is the highest rate in many years (1) .
Without a job and no income, Marie-Paule had to
let go her houseboy, move out of her home and leave Kigali with her two sons. Boris
was no longer allowed to attend his school because the school fees were no
longer being paid. Marie-Paule had only one family member who supported her, her
aunt in Gisenyi (160km away from Kigali), who hosted Marie- Paule and her
children, Boris and Brian, in her house. They have lived there for 1.5 years now.
Today, Boris is going into a public school. Marie-Paule told me that Boris is
mentally very frustrated. He wants to become a physician and with joining a
public school, he knows that his education quality decline and his chances to
meet his goal are lower. But still, his
marks are still very good because he still tries to learn as much as he can.
I started this campaign to support Boris’
education, to raise funds to pay for private school fees, so that Boris has the
best possible chance of realising his dream of becoming a physician. For his remaining Primary years, he will join the
Kigali Parents school, which has a good reputation and is known for its good basic
education.
For his education in secondary school we chose
the Nu-Vision High School. Nu-Vision High school is a boarding school with
international classes: It is an accredited Cambridge International School and
accredited to ICDL.
Nu-Vision High
School Cambridge International Program
Year 8,9,10&11
|
RWF
|
USD
|
EURO
|
Year 12, 13
|
RWF
|
USD
|
EURO
|
School Fees
|
650’000
|
792
|
705
|
School Fees
|
750’000
|
914
|
813
|
School Uniform
|
70’000
|
86.-
|
76
|
School Uniform
|
70’000
|
86
|
76
|
Sports Uniform
|
25’000
|
31
|
27
|
Sports Uniform
|
25’000
|
31
|
27
|
Maintenance
|
30’000
|
36
|
33
|
Lab Coat
|
8’000
|
10
|
9
|
Registration
|
20’000
|
24
|
22
|
Maintenance
|
30’000
|
36
|
33
|
Identity Card
|
4’000
|
5
|
4
|
Registration
|
20’000
|
24
|
22
|
Song Book
|
5’000
|
7
|
5.5
|
Identity Card
|
4’000
|
5
|
4
|
Visitation Card
|
4’000
|
5
|
4
|
Song Book
|
5’000
|
7
|
5.5
|
Insurance
|
2’000
|
2.5
|
3
|
Visitation Card
|
4’000
|
5
|
4
|
Haircut
|
2’000
|
2.5
|
3
|
Insurance
|
2’000
|
2.5
|
3
|
Medical
|
2’000
|
2.5
|
3
|
Haircut
|
2’000
|
2.5
|
3
|
TOTAL
|
814’000
|
993.5
|
885.5
|
Medical
|
2’000
|
2.5
|
3
|
TOTAL
|
922’000
|
1125.5
|
1002.5
|
||||
This school
is known for its advanced facilities (Laboratories, Computer, etc…)
Year 8: +
$200.—ICDL Fee (= €178.--)
Year10: +
$200.—SCIENCE Fee (= €178.--)
Year12: +
$200.—SCIENCE Fee (= €178.--)
Fees have
to be paid per term. Including separate ICDL Fees and Science Fees in year 8,10
and 12
In Rwanda,
1 term is 3 months.
That means
fees for Year 8, 9, 10, 11 will be $12’322 (includes the $400 (€ 356.-) extra
charges)
For Year 12
and 13 another $6’950 have to be raised (includes the $200 (€178.-) extra
charges)
His secondary school education with classes on an international level will cost $19’272 (€17’272) plus around $3'380 (€3'000) for joining last years of Primary School
Our goal: $22'652.-- (= €20'114.--)
(increase of prices are not included now- In case, we make
sure that with our personal financial part of the project it will be covered as well) –
That is our goal! Let us make this happen!
If we do
not reach this high goal, Boris will be sent in another, cheaper boarding school,
with less advanced facilities but with still good education guaranteed.
Of course,
we try to do our best to get him an education which his equivalent to the
education what we got in our western, developed society. Why not giving him the
same chance in our life, like we had?
The more money we can raise, ensures more years
of quality education for Boris. A
quality education will help secure his and his family’s future, financially and
in quality of life. With your donation,
you will not only supporting a bright, dedicated and hardworking young Boris,
but also his mother Marie- Paule and brother, and his own future family.
Here is the letter Boris wrote to his father in
Kinyarwanda (translation follows below):
English translation:
“Mum always asks you to respect our children
rights especially to pay my school fees but you do not do it while you know
very well that since I started going to school you have never paid for me or
cared about my education
I started going to school when I was 3 years
and I am 7 now, I am in P2
Dear Dad, I would like to ask you if you have
never gone to school, didn’t your parents pay for your education? I addition to
that , you were lucky to continue your studies in Africa, so why don’t you want
to pay for me?
When we came to see you at your office, you aid
that you were going to pay for me but you never did, up to now. At that time I
was not allowed to join school anymore (Lack of payment, that was in June
2016).
I am closing here requesting you to kindly give
me your feedback as soon as possible.
I have given copies to some people to advice on
this case because you do not fulfil your responsibilities as a parent/father.
Thank you for your feedback,
May God protect you
Your son, who loves you
Manzi Boris”
Manzi Boris
Little Gems Academy/P2
Gikondo/Nyenyeri/Kigali-Rwanda
Mob: 0785152612
This letter was copied to:
-The chairman of Rwandan parliament (Deputies)
-Commissioner of the children commission
-Executive Secretary of Rwanda Patriotic Front
-National commission of Women District and
national level
-President of Republic of Rwanda
Sources:
1. Trading
economics. Rwanda Unemployment rate. [Online] 2012, 2017. [Cited: 04 06
2017.] https://tradingeconomics.com/rwanda/unemployment-rate.
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen