She was a young, single, pregnant girl facing the challenges that come with such circumstances. Struggling with extreme poverty and lacking the necessary education or skill set, Alice was determined to provide a better life for herself and her unborn child.

Today, thanks to GIFTS Rwanda's beading and soap making group, Alice has acquired valuable skills in crafting purses and soap. In a generous gesture, Alice has shared her inspiring journey and aspirations with us. Among her dreams is the desire to join our upcoming New Mom Sewing Co-op, where she can receive training, sewing supplies, and a six-month education, paving the way for a sustainable livelihood for herself and her child.

 As part of our TRIPLE match Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign, we are actively raising funds to support 20 new or pregnant moms, including Alice, living in extreme poverty with dreams of a stable livelihood. Your support can make a significant impact, with this initiative costing only $135 per young mother.

Thanks to Boeing and a generous donor, your contribution is currently being TRIPLE matched. Your donation today will be three times as effective in helping us reach our $40,000 Giving Tuesday goal!

This is an ideal moment to contribute what you can. Your generosity plays a crucial role in providing young girls like Alice with the love and care they need, ensuring they have a promising future, regardless of their past challenges.

Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a difference.

​I would like to introduce you to Marie. She is a genocide survivor who has overcome numerous obstacles in her life. Listen to her story of loss and the hope GIFTS Rwanda provided, guiding her toward redemption as she rebuilt her life.

​P.S. Will you help us spread the word? Share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues to let them know what GIFTS Rwanda is up to and what an enormous impact they have the opportunity to be a part of, too! Thank you so much!

Did you know GIFTS Rwanda is a registered non-profit with Benevity?! Companies such as Intel, Nike, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Starbucks, and UPS are among those who participate in Benevity and will MATCH your employee donation to GIFTS Rwanda. We are also registered with Boeing and Washington State employees to ensure your donation gets matched. And here's the exciting part – this is ON TOP of our ongoing TRIPLE match Giving Tuesday 2023 campaign, meaning your donation will be multiplied by 400%!

Calling all Nike employees – here's an extra incentive: Nike has temporarily doubled the matching rate to an extraordinary 200% through December, resulting in your donation being multiplied by 500% with our triple match on top of their double match!

If you have any questions or require assistance with the matching gift process, please feel free to reach out to me. Your support means the world to us.​
Thank you for considering this opportunity to make a significant impact.

​P.S. Will you help us spread the word? Share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues to let them know what GIFTS Rwanda is up to and what an enormous impact they have the opportunity to be a part of, too! Thank you so much!

By joining forces, you can triple the impact on educational support, housing, and community development to make lives better.

Will you stand with us for Giving Tuesday? ​

Our Rugarika team just shared a photo of these children who are beginning primary school this week, all thanks to your generous donations. The sheer happiness and gratitude in their faces warm my heart. This photo comes at the perfect time as I'm working on a message to you about the secondary and graduate students whose education is made possible by your donations.​

During my conversations with these secondary and graduate students in Rugarika, a common theme emerged. These are students who were sponsored by our GIFTS Rwanda program during their early years of schooling, much like the delightful children in the photo above. We are thrilled to see their bright plans for the future. They dream of attending university or vocational school, recognizing the life-changing potential it holds for them, their families, and the entire Rugarika community. However, the cost of pursuing these dreams presents a significant challenge, and many of them are encountering difficulties in finding employment.

 They inquired to see if GIFTS Rwanda could provide any assistance, and I promised to seek support on their behalf. We're pleased to share that we've received donations to sponsor three out of the fourteen graduate students in their upcoming educational journey. Nevertheless, we still need 11 more sponsorships at a cost of $1,500 per year. I know these costs are difficult for many families, and sometimes in the past, when we were building a house for a Rwandan family, for example, two families would share the cost, which was a real blessing for all involved.

By sponsoring a student, you'll have the opportunity to learn their name and receive information about them, allowing you to follow their progress on this transformative path.

Hear more from Praci Amunamasha below.

​We're back from Rugarika and incredibly grateful for the time spent with the wonderful people we are privileged to serve!

Were you able to keep up with our blog? We documented each day of our trip in the "Rugarika Trip 2023" category. You can find it HERE. Additionally, if you have donated to GIFTS Rwanda in the past 18 months I sent you a personalized video message with a link to the blog. If you haven't received it, please reply click HERE so I can update your contact information and send you your video!

1. Share the blog: Spread the word to your family and friends so they can witness the impactful work GIFTS Rwanda is doing. They can join us on this mission to create lasting change in Rugarika, supporting abundant and joyful lives!
   
2. Take it a step further: Interested in a personal touch? I'd be delighted to present in person to your friends and family. We can use a community room or your home for a presentation about our trip. I'll bring along soap, lotion, beaded bags, and tailoring items from our various groups so they can see and feel exactly what's being created by the people we serve. Let's inspire change together!​​

• Complete the community room for the new mom sewing group and chicken farm.
• Expand the land around the community room and chicken farm to support our other projects.
• Increase support for students in primary and secondary schools, and introduce university/trade school opportunities for graduates.
• Construct a home for a family of six currently living under makeshift shelter.
• Extend health insurance coverage to an additional 800 individuals, bringing the total to 1,246 people covered for one year.
• Establish a new group of single mom tailors, consisting of 20 new mothers.
• Present our Action Plan to the Rwandan government to obtain NGO (non-governmental organization) status in Rwanda. This will enable us to apply for Rwandan grants, providing another funding source for the village.
  

We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your crucial role in making this trip a reality, enabling us to witness your impactful efforts in combating poverty and fostering lasting change. The future appears exceptionally promising, and our enthusiasm to support the people of Rugarika in achieving their aspirations has never been greater.

P.S. Want to add impact to your Inbox?! Enter your information below to receive email updates, inspiring stories, special announcements, exciting initiatives and more from GIFTS Rwanda! You can manage preferences and unsubscribe anytime.

Today is the day we must say goodbye, and it's a bittersweet moment, to say the least. Our time here has introduced us to some of the most loving, giving, and joyful people, making it incredibly difficult to say goodbye. Fortunately, it's not really a farewell, but more of a "see you soon."
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We started the day early, meeting with Brigitte and Paterne to craft an Action Plan for presenting to the government, a vital step toward establishing a Rwandan NGO. Additionally, we mapped out a comprehensive action plan for the next five years. The people of Rugarika have truly inspired us, igniting our determination to work tirelessly to help them achieve their aspirations.

Albert joined Karina and me on this journey, initially as an escort, but as the days unfolded, he found himself passionately thinking of ways he could help. With his background in automotive and construction, he envisioned numerous ways to contribute to the community's betterment and he presented them to us at the end of our meeting. Witnessing his love for the people and his commitment to utilizing his skills to assist them was truly inspiring.

​While we may be leaving Rwanda physically, our hearts remain firmly connected to this incredible place and its wonderful people. Until we return, we'll be hard at work in the States, dedicated to helping the people of Rugarika achieve the sustainable changes they need to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. The journey continues, and we can't wait to see what the future holds.

​Today marked our final full day here, and it's safe to say we made every moment count. I couldn't have been more thrilled to spend my last day in the village, sporting my brand-new skirt courtesy of a gift from our New Mom Tailoring Group. Our day began with a quick stop to purchase hundreds of shoes, a small act that would make a world of difference to the families we were about to visit. Many of them were in dire need, either lacking shoes altogether or relying on worn-out pairs. Here, simple slides, costing just under $2, were the footwear of choice due to their durability. 

​​Once we reached the village, we had the privilege of hearing from several women who had received goats from us. These women are now part of the group we've enrolled in our health insurance program, and their gratitude for the opportunity to access medical care was heartwarming. Over these past 7 days I have collected over 70 testimonials from various community members whose lives have been touched by GIFTS Rwanda, and the bonds we share with them are truly special.

Each family we encountered has faced unimaginable challenges and hardships, yet their unwavering positivity, appreciation, and joy never falter. Their way of life serves as a powerful lesson for all of us. In fact, I believe that we can learn just as much from them as they can from us.
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I am profoundly grateful for GIFTS Rwanda's partnership with the village of Rugarika and for the incredible opportunity I've had to serve this remarkable group of people. Together, we are making a difference, one step, one smile, and one heartfelt connection at a time.

I must admit, although I strive not to pick favorites among our twelve different projects, the Single Mom Tailoring Group holds a special place in my heart. Being a single mother in Rwanda is an extraordinary challenge, with limited job opportunities and persistent stigmas. I've been a part of GIFTS Rwanda for nearly two years now, and this was the very first project I had the privilege of launching from the ground up. Witnessing their progress, their genuine happiness, their overwhelming gratitude, and the love they share with one another fills me with immense joy. Take a look for yourself HERE. We talked, sewed, and I listed to their wants and needs. They made me a beautiful skirt I cannot wait to wear tomorrow and they even gave us a show of song and dance that filled the room with love and happiness.

​But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Our day started with a detour to the pharmacist on our way to the village. I had lost most of my voice a couple of days ago, and my throat had become raw and swollen. Despite having purchased cough drops the day before, my voice hadn't improved. I assured Brigitte that I was loading up on vitamin C and antioxidants, and that it would eventually improve, but she insisted we visit a local pharmacist. I'm genuinely grateful that she did.

Experiencing a Rwandan pharmacy was a fascinating and eye-opening experience. The pharmacist carefully examined my condition and prescribed four treatments for me. He took his time, displayed a remarkable depth of knowledge, and the cost was surprisingly minimal. To top it off, he even offered me his personal phone number in case I had any questions or encountered any issues. I couldn't help but mention that our healthcare system in the US could certainly learn a thing or two from his level of care and dedication. His response was a heartwarming mix of pride and joy, and meeting him was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my day.

​From there we traveled to have a meeting with Fredrick, the leader of the Rugalika sector. In Rwanda, there's a hierarchy of villages, sectors, districts, provinces, and the country itself. During our visit this week, we were able to extend health insurance coverage to an additional 800 people, all thanks to your generous donations. This brings our coverage from 446 to an astounding 1246 individuals. The leaders of the village and sector were so moved by this gesture that they requested an in-person meeting to express their heartfelt thanks. It was a remarkable experience stepping inside the sector building and meeting the individuals who work diligently to run the village. They are profoundly grateful for our efforts to uplift the people of Rugalika from extreme poverty and have pledged to support our journey to become an NGO in Rwanda. While we're already a registered 501c3 non-profit in the US, obtaining the same status in Rwanda is no small feat. Once we secure this status, it will open doors for us to apply for Rwandan grants, providing the village with another avenue of funding. Fingers crossed, we can make it happen!

​One of GIFTS Rwanda's earliest sustainable projects involved soap and bead making. In the afternoon we were able to meet the soap makers and bead artisans at Rugarika Primary School. This dynamic group comprises strong, joyful women who welcomed us with open arms, demonstrating their soap-making and bead-crafting skills. In support of their hard work, we purchased their entire inventory as gifts to bring home. I couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments, and I'm brimming with ideas on how we can further assist them in managing their finances and business needs.

​I can honestly say that I've never had a day where I've smiled so much, and I will be eternally grateful for the open hearts of these remarkable women and the warm embrace of the children we met today. The love and positivity in this community are truly infectious, and it fuels our determination to continue making a meaningful impact in their lives.