Bridge of Hope

It started with four different programs (Play and Learn Initiative; Early Childhood Education and School Feeding ;Prevention of School drop outs and Parental inclusive), which were on the forefront of combatting poverty, inequality, early child education and development.

Choosing to work in the field of Community Development, it was based on the both sides of myself as viewing the community development as part of better world and secondary; mapping the world’s opportunities from my home country and rest of the world a source of transforming marginalized and vulnerable communities from early ages to ageing generations.

Day to day, Bridge of Hope in Rwanda has touched lives of many in direct and indirect way by assisting children to start their early child education programs in good conditions, parents and surrounding community have gained an interest of participating in different socio-economic workshops. Whatever, in hardship and lack of potential resources, human and finance we have made possible hopes to our country.

Our teamwork and partnerships have bridged possible developmental alternatives in malnutrition, early child education, family engagement and empowerment for improved social and economic growth; where the country’s practitioners recognize our participation as an engine to development to achieve the millennium goals as mandated in the UN consensus.

The organization was established in 2018 in collaboration with the Good News Church to establish a preschool center using three existing church building facilities.

In 2019, Hope Christian Nursery school was registered with government to improve educational outcomes for children aged 3 to 6 years old in the Rusororo Sector.

When we started the preschool center, our goal was to prepare children for future academic success. However, We soon learned that we would not do that without the support of their parents, and the community was slow to embrace the preschool and to register their children for preschool. By the end of 2019, Only 25 children had registered.

To change the situation, we had to engage in other activities outside of the school programs to improve educational outcomes.

Bridge of Hope engages in involved in creating awareness on child development and educational outcomes among parents. Every Saturday of the month, parents with their children gather at the school to participate in Play and learning initiatives. The wider community is invited to participate in these initiatives.

Children and Parents participate in a wide range of outdoor play and learn activities supervised by trained volonteers. Children are divided into age group of 10 to 15 children, where they experience lots of fun activities intended to nurture and develop their social, emotional and phyiscal skills.

Parents are also distributed to these small groups to cheer and observe their children learn, Play and socialize. At the end of the play and learn event, parents gather together to walk about their children's learning and development needs and commit to saving some money together toword future education for their children.

The initiative has attracted over 120 children every Saturday, and preschool enrolment has increased to 59 children.

The Play and learn initiative aims to create preschool education awareness in the community. A systems approach to child protection.

The organization is planning to start a feeding program for children who come at kindgergarden Monday to Friday where this initiative will start on 15th October 2021.

Bridge of Hope has an education assistance program that helps disadvantaged children to remain in school after they transition to primary education level. The education assistance combined with the parent's saving group initiative that keeps money aside for a whole yearhas proved a successful approach for reaching and keeping disadvantaged children in school. Using this approach, Bridge of Hope has managed to sustain 10 of 25 children graduates in school.

All our program interventions have multiple and inter-dependent impacts on the child's life including, cognitive development, child stimulation, health, safety, social and emotional well-being, all helping to achieve the organization's goal - full development potential for all children. However, it is crucial to note that the organization's is financially constrained.

The management of Bridge of Hope will need to come up with innovative ways of resource mobilization both human and financial so as to increase its potential to hire and support qualified teachers, support children with physical and learning disabilities as well as access quality learning materials to achieve quality learning opportunities for the children.