The Blessing School

Off the main RN3 motorway on the outskirts of Kigali is a dirt road that heads up into one of the thousands of hills (mille collines) in Rwanda. Past an outdoor brick factory, where workers dig clay and form bricks by hand to fire in roadside kilns, you will find the village of Cyabatanzi.

The community, which found itself outside the public school district after a rezoning process, needed assistance.

It is here that The Blessing School was founded.

The Blessing School has slowly and steadily grown from a barren hillside to a bustling nursery and elementary school enrolling some 90 children from the local community. Since opening its doors for its first students in 2011, the school has expanded to provide instruction from pre-K to grade 3. As children in the community grow up, it is the goal of the school to add new classrooms to keep pace through grade 6.

After purchasing the land for the school in 2008 and initially adding a water system, construction of classrooms, lavatories and administrative offices has kept apace through funds raised by Project Blessing in the United States.

Christ for the Nations ministries is Project Blessing’s partner in Rwanda and the operator of The Blessing School. Led by Norman Paul Desire, Christ for the Nations is a faith based, non-profit organization in Kigali. Its services range from religious education and leadership training to humanitarian assistance.

Christ for the Nations liaises with Rwanda’s Ministry of Education to ensure appropriate educational standards are being meet for curriculum and facilities.

For more information on Christ for the Nations and its good works in Rwanda, click here to visit their website.

In 2008, during Project Blessing founder Shaun Fletcher’s trip to Rwanda, he meet Norman Paul Desire, leader of Christ for the Nations ministries, a faith based organization in Kigali. Pastor Norman introduced Shaun to the Cyabatanzi community and suggested a partnership to bring education to the village.

The Blessing School Timeline

2008 – Founded

2009 – Land purchased

2010 – Water well installed

2011 – Kindergarten classroom #1

2012 – Kindergarten classroom #2

2013 – Kindergarten classroom #3

2014 – Kindergarten classrooms open

2015 – Foundation built for Grades 1, 2 & 3

2016 – Grade, 1, 2 & 3 Classrooms completed. Electricity installed.

2017 –Main gate built and installed. Additional lavatory facilities added.

Soccer field excavation and seating completed.