Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, insightfully notes that “Education is, quite simply, peace-building by another name.” In the case of Rwanda, this declaration can be seen as truth, as the country continues to rebuild after the 1994
Genocide, and travels through the process of reconciliation. Pastors and teachers are on the frontlines, helping children not only to learn academically, but also to work together to not repeat the mistakes of the past. Currently, more than half of the country’s population is 18 years or younger.


This Christmas, families in Baptist churches across Canada have the opportunity to help children in Rwanda through Kids Care Kit: Save My School. Funds raised will give some of the most vulnerable Rwandan children the gift of education. Children like Théogène.

Théogène is 16 and in grade 6, studying with the hopes of one day becoming a journalist. When asked what his greatest need and challenge were, Théogène’s response was heart-wrenching: “I wish my traumatic memories would go away.” Memories of the genocide, a time when nearly 90% of all Rwandan children witnessed some form of torture, assault, injury or death of a family member or friend. Théogène attends one of the 47 schools operated by the Association des Églises Baptistes au Rwanda, CBM’s partner in Rwanda. The AEBR serves vulnerable children, students who are orphans and/or who come from impoverished families. The very students most likely to drop out of school early, and more likely to live a life of abuse and exploitation. The AEBR offers these children an alternative – an education and a better future. “I thank God for school,” Théogène declares “I know that I am not alone and now have hope for my future.”

Kids Care Kit, Save My School, is focused on making the dream of school a reality for children like Théogène, and each one of us can help make a difference! For $20, you can purchase a keepsake box filled with 8 Christmas greeting cards – all designed by students in two of AEBR’s primary schools, including Théogène. You will help provide school fees, uniforms, school supplies, train teachers and rebuild Rwanda’s school infrastructure, damaged in the genocide or deteriorating due to age. It’s an excellent opportunity for partnership – as students in Rwanda and Canada work together to make the dream of an education and a better life a reality for vulnerable children like Théogène . Kids Care Kit is a wonderful way to see how our gifts of prayer and money work together to make a big difference.

For more information contact Ray Martiniuk or Nancy Umbach, or Canadian Baptist Ministries at http://www.cbmin.org.