Get+to+know+Rwinkwavu

Welcome to Rwinkwavu Sector. We are located in the Eastern Province of Rwanda - approximately one and a half hours from the capital city, Kigali. Outside of Kigali, most of the countryside is dominated by rural villages and communities. To get to Rwinkwavu, you have to spend the last 30 minutes of the trip on a road paved with dirt.

There are approximately 23,000 people living in Rwinkwavu Sector (that's more than Sharon!). The sector boundaries are similar to what we call town boundaries in the USA, but within the sector, there are many umudugudu, or villages in the local language Kinyarwanda, scattered throughout. The students who live in the umudugudus of Rwinkwavu are split up and attend five different schools, depending on where within the sector they live. Three of the schools go from 1st grade to 9th grade, one school goes from 1st grade to 12th grade, and one is only 1st grade to 6th grade.

Here is an image of one school where the students attend. It's called Nkondo 1 Primary School.

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Here is an image of another school where the students go. This one is called Groupe Scolaire Rwinkwavu Primary School.

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Most of the students have to walk down a long dirt road every day to get to school. Sometimes walking for 40 minutes each way! In primary school, there are so many students that there are two shifts of classes to accommodate all of the students: one in the morning, and one in the afternoon.

Many of the students from these schools come to the new Library in the centre of Rwinkwavu after or before school. At the Library Learning Center, students can come read books in English and Kinyarwanda, spend time with their friends and adults who teach here. They can play games, draw pictures, sing, dance, and even play basketball!

The students whom you'll be meeting come to the Library Learning Center from both of these schools. They are excited to meet you, and to share information about their lives.