Parents with children at Zam Zam Primary School in Kasebigege village in Nyamata sector, Bugesera District, have expressed their gratitude towards the new classrooms, among other school facilities, provided to boost their minors’ education. The facilities also include books, latrines, and water tanks to create a suitable environment for learners. The project was implemented by Association des Amis de la Nature (ANA Rwanda) in partnership with Zam Zam Water, an American organisation, with the support of Paxful to help the children attend kindergarten and primary school near their homes. Over 300 children have been enrolled from nursery to primary three since last year. Claudine Umuhoza of Murama cell has three children enrolled, one in nursery and two in primary. She said that she is so happy to have her children educated close to their home. “Previously, my children were studying in a remote place but I decided to transfer them to this school when it was established. It was costly because sometimes they had to take vehicles to reach the school on time. Also, their performance suffered because of fatigue cause by the long distance. Now, they are doing well,” Umuhoza said. Another parent, Innocent Mugemana, whose child enrolled in nursery, said that some kids had to forego kindergarten because of the long distance. “We are happy with the school. The facilities were needed. Our children used to walk like five kilometres and such a distance is not healthy for a young child. It was difficult for parents to take their children to kindergarten because of the obstacles on the way to school and back,” Mugemana said. According to Yves Leonce Abayisenga, the headmaster of Zam Zam School, the facilities reduced the number of children wandering around because they were late, or had even to drop out. Donat Kwitonda, the coordinator of Association des Amis de la Nature said that they plan to expand the school to primary six in the future. “Our vision is to ensure that all children are well educated in the area. When we finish with primary level, we will think about secondary level. Together with the district, we will transform the community,” he said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
