Visit to Congolese Refugee Camp

If you have ever wanted to be famous for the day … go to a the Gihembe Refugee Camp. Every kid will follow you around, hold your hand and call you "Mzungu" (white person). They just want to touch you, wave at you or get you to smile at them.

About 10 of our students come from Gihembe, a Congolese Refugee Camp with 14,500 people about 1 hour outside Kigali.  (Half are 14 years and under.) They managed to educate themselves in tiny schools made out of mud with no electricity … and were able to pass the National Exam (like nailing your SAT, but it's required for university entrance - super hard). One of our students, Dugan scored 2nd in the country of Rwanda for physics/math. Yet he had no way of going to University because he isn't Rwandan and therefore cannot get a loan or scholarship. These Numbers Has Faces is paying for him … and the line of students is about 100 who are so eager to go to University. Education is hope. Check out a few quick videos and pics of the camp below.

American Style Leadership Training (Kigali, Rwanda)

Awesome afternoon spent with our students conducting a leadership training which kicked off with an ice breaker game where they had to act like assigned animals in order to find their team (it was surprisingly a HUGE hit). We wanted to make the training "different" as the University approach to learning involves sitting at a desk and being lectured at for hours while writing notes. We also wanted to make sure the girls spoke up so each team had to have 1 girl report out in the end. English level is about 6th grade so we kept things simple. I was extremely impressed by their engagement, wisdom and ability to present. So proud of our 30+ students.

Each student drew a picture of where they grew up and their family to demonstrate that their history is an asset not an obstacle for being a leader. Note this student writes that her mom and dead are dead. She's an orphan - so many of our students have mind blowing stories.

Yep, despite having nearly any money, it is totally normal for a majority of Africans to have mobile phones (they are more like burner phones in the US - add minutes to them, it's not monthly plans that we have).

Break out groups reporting out on their "top 5" traits of a positive/negative leader

Each student had to write 2 traits they are proud of and 1 they want to improve.

Our students LOVE "certificates" - very official.

Candid Talk with Ugandan Graduates

We did a mini focus group of sorts with these 5 amazing women who recently gradated (not our students as ours are still in school), but we partner with their organization. They provided us with raw insight into the reality of their 1st year of university and gave us ideas for how else we can supporting our students.

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Meet Alice

These shots give you a flavor for the slums in Kampala, Uganda. Alice inside her hut leaning against the buckets, her "sister" (not her sister) who lives w/them and under the mud plank I'm standing on is the stream….which is 100% contaminated, pure waste and disgust. 

Quick Video of Alice's Home

Meet Alice. She lives in a massive slum in Kampala .. in this tiny mud / bamboo shack half the size of Tate's room with her "auntie" who raised her and 5 other small kids (who I don't think are related). There was one twin size bed and the rest of the place was stacked with buckets for getting clean water (pay for it), blankets, clothes, and a random desk (with stuff on it, not for studying). No electricity obviously. And they pay RENT! 

We went to visit Alice to tell her These Numbers Have Faces will be helping her with University tuition and programming. She walks 45 minutes one way for work (she handles finances for a bar - majoring in accounting) and 20 more for school. Are you wondering how she looks like she doesn't live in a slum? So was I. How you present yourself matters to University students (more on that later). It's incredible the resilience and optimism she possesses. Alice supports everyone in the shack financially. I wanted to hand her everything in my wallet but there are rules….and there are so many stories like Alice.  This is why our hunt for partners is so critical.