President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, October 12, hosted board members of SOLA - Afghanistan’s only girls’ boarding school - which relocated temporarily to Rwanda late last year. The school relocated to Rwanda after the Taliban took over the Asian country. The meeting, held at Village Urugwiro, was also attended by the school’s founder and President Shabana Basij-Rasikh. According to Presidency, discussions centered around the school’s progress and plans for expansion in Rwanda. It is nearly a year since the school temporarily relocated to Rwanda in a bid to pursue education in a conducive environment following the take over of the Taliban, who are believed to strongly discourage the education of girls. However, as early as February, the school opened this year’s admissions season, inviting Afghan girls worldwide to apply and join the rest in Rwanda. As of September 1, admissions were over, said Rasikh. “My news today lifts me up and tears in my heart,” she said in a tweet, adding, “We have received more than 170 applications from 10 nations.” “We’re now finishing our final interviews, and our next step is to bring our new students safely to us in Rwanda – more on this throughout September, as we start the new school year,” she added. Rwanda is one of several countries that agreed to temporarily host evacuated Afghans.
