Women Plan Rwanda (WPR) has provided essential school supplies and personal hygiene items to students of Groupe Scolaire Kaganza in Nyanza District, reaffirming its commitment to supporting vulnerable students across the country.
The distribution took place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, as part of the organization’s ongoing education support initiatives.
WPR, an organization dedicated to empowering women and promoting girls’ education, has partnered with several schools nationwide to identify vulnerable students particularly girls, and assist them with necessary school materials and school fees. GS Kaganza is among the institutions benefiting from this long-standing program.
During the latest support activity, WPR donated notebooks, pens, and sanitary pads to several students, most of them girls facing economic hardship.
WPR donated notebooks, pens, and sanitary pads to several students to support their learning and well-being.
Beneficiaries express gratitude
One of the beneficiaries, Kellia Ishimwe, a Senior 3 student, expressed deep gratitude for the support, saying the lack of school materials had made her studies extremely challenging.
“I am very thankful to Women Plan Rwanda because studying used to be difficult due to the lack of school materials and school fees. Sometimes my pen or notebooks would get finished and I had no replacements, leaving me with nothing to use for studying because I had no one to rely on,” she said.
Ishimwe also shared her personal story, noting that she and her siblings were abandoned by their father at a young age. Their mother later passed away, leaving them under the care of their elderly grandmother, who struggled to provide for their basic needs. At one point, she said “almost dropped out of school due to financial difficulties, but WPR’s support restored my hope and enabled me to continue my studies.”
Another beneficiary, Faradja Mugisha, said he faced similar challenges. Living with a single mother who suffers from a mental health condition, he often lacked school materials and school fees.
He thanked WPR for stepping in, noting that the support “enables me to study properly and focus on my future.”
Nasira Confiance Irakoze, also a student at GS Kaganza, said the items she received, especially sanitary pads, will help her maintain good hygiene and concentrate better on her studies, particularly during the ongoing examination period.
According to Jean Pierre Manange Rukundo, Quality Control and Compliance Manager at WPR, the school drop-out challenges observed among girls in rural communities inspired the creation of Women Plan Rwanda.
He noted that many girls face limited opportunities due to poverty, family conflicts, and other hardships, which often force them out of school.
These concerns led to the establishment of the Single Mothers Empowerment Program (SMEP) and the Drop Out Prevention Program (DOPP), both designed to empower women and ensure that girls remain in school.
Currently, WPR supports 106 girls through the Drop Out Prevention Program (DOP), which aims to reduce school drop-out rates by providing school materials and school fees for boarding students, while day scholars receive school feeding support. The program is active in 18 districts and prioritizes the most vulnerable children.
