RFG Update
by Leander Heblich & Maximilian Cramer
Do you remember the places that inspired you as you were growing up? For many children in the neighbourhood of Batsinda in Kigali, Root Foundation has long been and continues to be such a place. Designed to meet the children’s needs, the organisation is a safe space for learning and growing up, building identity, and experiencing community with a strong support network for whole families.
Photo credits: Root Foundation
To ensure that Root Foundation can continue to provide this important space to the children from its community, it has – since 2021 – prepared a project that involves the purchase of two plots of land and the construction of its very own children’s centre, in cooperation with Root Foundation Germany e.V. The project is made possible through funding by Sächsische Jugendstiftung in the programme “genialsozial – Your work against poverty” 2022. Sächsische Jugendstiftung is a foundation initiated by the Saxon State Parliament in 1997.
We are happy to share that the construction of four spacious class and activity rooms, a sports and entertainment playground as well as a partially roofed seating area has been completed, with only a few final touches remaining. Meanwhile, staff, volunteers and some of the children who attend Root Foundation’s programs have done their best to turn this new place into a colourful and inviting home for the organisation. This way, Root Foundation’s long-existing creative spirit lives on in its new center.
For Root Foundation Germany e.V., the project’s progress is a promising achievement because we are convinced that cooperation projects between initiatives from the Global North and South should address imbalances in financial and decision-making power. By owning its own property and center, Root Foundation is becoming much less dependent on external funding and can ensure its support to children, youth and families in the long term. The NGO has already been able to decrease the rent it used to pay for its activity spaces.
In addition, Root Foundation has managed to expand its reach. It has successfully increased the number of participants in its Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program thanks to the additional space after the construction. The fact that it now disposes of its own center also means that the Rwandan team can proceed with more ambitious projects: From September 2024, Root Foundation’s own nursery school – Root Foundation School – has succeeded the ECE Program. This pre-primary school reflects an even more structured approach to preparing children for their future learning trajectory and operates from the new premises. So far, 60 students have enrolled in three different grades at Root Foundation School.
Both the German and the Rwandan teams would like to express their gratitude to the children and young people in Saxony who formed part of the youth jury that selected our project for funding and then raised all the funds themselves through engaging in a dedicated action day. We are thankful to Sächsische Jugendstiftung for organising “genialsozial” as a programme that encourages German children and youth to actively engage with cooperation projects that have a positive impact for children and youth abroad. This reflects a practical and, at the same time, critical approach to global learning.
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