On Sunday we had the pleasure
of touring the Hope Haven campus with Nate and Fonda (thank you for graciously taking
the time to talk with us!). Nate and Fonda live on site at the campus and Nate is
the campus manager. We stayed at the campus the previous two days during our
time in Rwanda so we were excited to learn more about Hope Haven’s work in the community.
Hope Haven is an NGO working
in Murindi, Rwanda that was founded by Susan Hollern after she visited Rwanda
in late 2009. During her visit she was impressed by the nation’s focus on
development and economic growth, as well as the manner in which the government
values its citizens and their ability to work together to drive forward the entire
nation. However, for these goals to be realized, the youth of Rwanda must have
access to a quality education.
Nate talked with us about
many topics ranging from how NGOs operate, to the permaculture practices being
used at the school, to the future construction plans for the campus. One of the
biggest takeaways from visiting Hope Haven is that it is more than just a
school. When Hope Haven first started working in Murindi the team immediately
sat down with the community leaders and asked them about the community needs. The
needs that were identified included grading the road, constructing a school, improving
access to clean water, and constructing a medical clinic. Nate and his team
have continued to engage in dialogue with the community that over time has
allowed them to gain the trust of the community and allow for the development
of a true partnership. It would appear that Hope Haven is not viewed as an
outsider, but instead is viewed as a community member. It was interesting to
see this focus on keeping the user in mind, which is something that we have
discussed repeatedly in our entrepreneurship course, talked about in the
context of NGOs. Just as many products fail when companies don’t design with
the user in mind, many NGOs also fail because they forget this key tenant.
Hope Haven is located on a
seven acre site that currently serves just over 300 students from nursery through
P2. The school site has been designed to allow for the construction of both a
primary and a secondary school, but to date only the nursery and first two
primary buildings have been completed. The facilities are outstanding and the
school even has a computer lab that is being used by the primary students. Hope
Haven currently charges students approximately 10,000 Franks (~$13 USD) per
term. Since there are three terms in a school year, school fees total
approximately $40 USD per year. Hope Haven does not turn students away whose
families cannot afford to pay their school fees. If a family cannot afford their
child’s school fees, they can work in the school’s permaculture gardens to pay
these fees. Parents who work in the gardens not only contribute to the student’s
nutrition since everything used in the gardens is consumed by the students, it
also allows them to learn new agricultural practices that they can then employ
at their own homes. Along those lines, Nate indicated that next year in P3
students will be creating sack gardens, which is a permaculture technique that
allows you to create a garden in a smaller space. Not only will the P3 students
learn about agriculture, they can then go home and teach this technique to
their families. Continually throughout our conversations with Nate and Fonda it
was clear that the teachers and staff at Hope Haven have very high expectations
for the children and that they have successfully created a strong student culture
built on student investment and accountability.
As previously mentioned, Hope
Haven is much more than just a school. In 2012 they put in two borehole wells,
one that is used for the school and one that is across the street that can be used
by anyone in the community. Hope Haven is also offering evening classes for
adults and they currently help advise three different community savings groups.
Moving forward, Nate also hopes to begin using the computer lab for evening community
classes as well. Hope Haven has ambitious plans that included installing water
filtration and sewage treatment plants, constructing a volleyball court,
hosting monthly concerts, and too many other things to list. As we discovered, Hope
Haven is a true community partner that has taken the time to build empathy and work
in tandem with the community members.
