The Transformative Power of Education: Shalom's Story

As a team, we often reflect on the transformative power of education. There are many quotes and studies on how education empowers young people and while those are all so true, it is even more powerful to witness the impact of education firsthand. 

Today we have the privilege of sharing Shalom's story with you - a young man in Rwanda who has been part of our Education Sponsorship Program for the last few years.

Shalom lives in Rwanda with his parents and three sisters. His family relies on farming but without consistent income, providing for their family has been extremely difficult. In an effort to pay for their children's school fees, Shalom's parents took out a loan but this became unmanageable for them. The financial strain coupled with other elements of poverty made it a very challenging time for the whole family.

Shalom joined the Education Sponsorship program in 2022. His dedication and  academic gifting stood out right from the start and throughout high school, he worked diligently and excelled in his subjects. In the later years of high school, Shalom studied Computer Systems and Architecture, where he thrived academically, ranking as one of the top students in his class every semester. Shalom's course required that he have his own computer - a challenging ask for many students in Rwanda. Thanks to the generosity of his sponsor, we were able to provide him with his own device which enabled him to engage with the practical elements of his course more deeply. In addition to that, Shalom was able to complete a professional internship for 6 months which gave him invaluable experience in his field.

It has been an honour for us to witness Shalom grow into a confident, determined young man who is so passionate about what he does. His dedication has resulted in him now being employed as an Assistant IT intern at a local hotel, which is a remarkable first step in his journey to self-sufficiency and moves him toward his long-term goal of starting his own IT business.

His journey over the past few years is a powerful example of what this program is all about — moving students and families from limitation to real opportunity and independence. The mentorship of our local partner, CARSA and the ongoing generosity of his sponsor has played a significant part in Shalom and his family moving from a place of poverty and despair to one of hope. We are immensely proud of Shalom and cannot wait to see what the future holds for him!