Our Schools Programme

The Rwanda Journey is an 11-day group visit organised between dates that suit your organisation. It is a challenging, emotional, and enjoyable experience that will make a lasting difference to the lives of those who participate, as well as their schools and wider communities. It will also help to develop a global perspective within any school that chooses to take part.

Our Aim

At Amakuru (UK) Ltd, we aim to raise awareness of the issues facing developing countries. Young people from the UK who visit Rwanda will return to share their experience with others in their schools and local communities while helping to raise funds for the Amakuru Trust.

How We’re Different

A Leader and Translator Accompany the Group at All Times
We Offer One Free Teacher Place per 7 Paying Participants
We Stay in Secure Accommodation – Safety is our Watchword
Our Volunteer Groups Do Not Take Work Away from Rwanda’s Unemployed
We Work with Participants Before and After the Journey
We Help Students to Fundraise and Plan Lessons Before the Journey
We Expect Students to Become Peer Educators; We Will Show Them How to Give Presentations and Lead Workshops After the Journey, and Provide Resources That They Can Use
We Want to Help Schools Establish a Global Perspective
We Can Lead Students Through a Qualification (EPQ)

Objectives of the Visit

To Learn About the History of Rwanda, Including its Colonisation and the 1994 Genocide, by Talking to Survivors and Visiting Memorial Sites
To Plan Lessons and Teach Children in Excel Primary School
To Discuss Issues with Others of a Similar Age in Rwanda
To Visit Educational and Sustainable Projects in Action and See How They Change People’s Lives
To Develop a Partnership with Schools, Groups, and Families in Rwanda
To Act as Ambassadors for the Amakuru Trust

Outcomes of the Visit

To Undertake Presentations and Lead Workshops About the Issues Facing Rwanda and Other Developing Countries
To Help Develop a Global Dimension within Their School
To Help Lead Fundraising Events
To Make a Real Difference to the Lives of Less Fortunate People

Safe & Professional

Amakuru (UK) Ltd puts safety and support at the heart of all School Programmes. Our experienced staff, both in Rwanda and the UK, are always on hand to help with any issues that may arise. Because we focus our efforts on a single country, we are extensively knowledgeable about it and have built risk assessments and safeguarding procedures for our School Programmes that are second to none.

A Typical Programme

Below, you’ll find the outline of a typical school programme.

Day 1

Take Turkish Airline TK1982 at 10:05 a.m. (Check-In at 7:05 a.m.) from Gatwick Airport South Terminal to Istanbul
Take Turkish Airlines Flight TK 612 at 6:20 p.m., Arriving in Kigali at 11:55 p.m. Local Time

Day 2

At 10:00 a.m., Visit the Gisozi Genocide Memorial Centre (Including a Discussion
with a Centre Representative)
Lunch at Gisozi and an Afternoon Visit to Churches in Ntarama and Nyamata
An Evening Meal at Sol e Luna with an Educational Specialist for USAid in Rwanda

Day 3

At 9:00 a.m., Visit the Kinyinya Village for Widows, Orphans, and HIV/AIDS Sufferers to volunteer at Peace and Hope Nursery School
At 11:30 a.m., Transfer to Rwamagana and the Centre d’Accueil, St Agnes, for Lunch
Settle in and Visit HVP Gatagara, a School for the Visually Impaired - join with the students for singing, dancing and a game of goalball!
Enjoy an Evening Meal at St Agnes

Day 4

At 9:00 a.m., Travel to the Streets Ahead Children’s Centre Association in Kayonza. At the Girl’s Centre, We’ll Take Part in Various Activities. Then, We’ll Go to Kabarondo and Visit the Boy’s Centre for Lunch, Singing, and Dancing
Enjoy an Evening Meal at St Agnes

Day 5

At 10:00 a.m., visit Lycee du Lac Muhazi Secondary School for a Small Ceremony and Activities.
Eat Lunch at the School
Free Afternoon in Preparation for Tomorrow’s Sport Activities - a Visit to Lake Muhazi
Visit the Rwamagana Market
Enjoy an Evening Meal at St Agnes

Day 6

From 7:30 a.m., Visit the Excel School All Day
Assist Teachers and Undertake Observations in the Morning
Lead Sports Activities with Some Students in the Afternoon
Lunch and an Evening Meal at St Agnes

Day 7

An Early Start (5:30 a.m. at the Latest)
Packed Breakfast and Lunch
Visit the Akagera National Park for an all day Safari - you can see Lion, Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo, Zebra, Crocodile, Warthog and much more!
Enjoy an Evening Meal at St Agnes

Day 8

At 9:00 a.m., Visit the GS Kabare School for Debate, Presentations, Singing, and Dancing
Eat Lunch at AVEGA, a Rwandan Charity, and Hear a Short Talk about Their Work
At 2:00 p.m., Take a Genocide Walk with Survivors in Rutonde as they Tell their Stories of 1994
Visit the Widows’ Houses and Talk with them about their Way of Life
Enjoy an Evening Party at St Agnes with our Partners in Eastern Province

Day 9

Teach Primary Classes at Excel School
Do Some Packing and Travel Back to Step Town Hotel in Kigali
Have an Evening Meal at the Step Town Hotel
Presentation and Award Ceremony

Day 10

Complete Packing Before Shopping for Souvenirs
Enjoy Lunch in Town
Spend the Afternoon by the Pool in Hôtel des Mille Collines or Nobleza Hotel
Take an Evening Meal at the Step Town Hotel before Leaving for Kigali Airport at 9:30 p.m. to Catch Turkish Airlines Flight TK612

Day 11

Take Flight TK612 for Istanbul at 00:55 a.m.

Take Flight TK1997 at 2:00 p.m. from Istanbul, Arriving at Gatwick Airport for 4:05 p.m.

Comments From Participants

Student comments since 2013

“I think I can say on behalf of all the students participating that we have come out of the trip as more mature, sensitive individuals.”

“This is a chance to travel on a safe, sheltered and organised trip that is a perfect stepping stone for independent travel in the future.”

“We are looking forward to sharing our stories and experiences with other students in our school through presentations and workshops.”

“The children ........ are guaranteed to make your journey to Rwanda extra special as they educate you as much as you educate them. I found leaving Rwanda emotionally hard. I want my whole family to come out and experience the amazing 10 days I have experienced. Rwanda is a country like no other!”

And a teacher's comment.....

“Rwanda is a truly inspirational country and one which our students will take many fond memories and experiences from. It is somewhere that Gresham’s will continue to come to in the future with Amakuru while supporting all the great work they do. They produced an incredible trip itinerary and on behalf of the school I would like to thank them hugely.” Dominic Atkinson, Housemaster and Head of Geography, Gresham’s School

JUST ONE TESTIMONIAL - Amakuru’s Rwanda Journey

"Some experiences are almost impossible to describe in words, and my experience of the Rwanda Journey is one of these.

As a teacher, the visit is certainly the most memorable and valuable one I have experienced in my twenty year career. The programme that Mike has developed incorporates a wide range of daily experiences which provide students and teachers alike with an unforgettable ten days.

Prior to the trip, Mike provides comprehensive information regarding the programme, details of preparatory considerations such as inoculations, and helpful ideas (and contacts) for fundraising. As a school we were wholly confident in his organisation and experience, and this was confirmed during our highly successful visit to Rwanda.

The programme itself incorporates a great number of activities. Beginning in Kigali, the group visits a genocide memorial museum and two churches where many people lost their lives in April 1994. These visits helped our group understand the strategic planning behind the genocide, learn about many personal tales of suffering, and also appreciate how the country has remarkably managed to transcend what might have been a forever defining tragedy. During the middle section of the visit we were based in the town of Rwamagana where we visited a number of schools and the SACCA project’s centres for street children. At every place we were overwhelmed by the warmth of the welcome, and as a teacher it was wonderful to watch our own students engage, play with and teach children in settings so different to our own. Our students planned lessons and physical activities which they delivered to students in the bilingual Excel School; this challenge, I know, will remain something that they will remember with pride forever. Additionally we went on a day’s safari in the Akagera National Park (‘Look: Zebras! Hippos! Crocs! Giraffes!’), learned to barter for gifts in a craft market, experienced the ‘African Massage’ of uneven sandy red Rwandan roads, and met warm and generous people at every turn.

Often students, and their parents, have small concerns about accommodation and food in advance of any residential visit, not least one that is based in Africa. The accommodation in Rwanda is very comfortable – some of the students described it as ‘posh!’ – with very clean and spacious shared hotel rooms, containing mosquito nets over beds and en-suite bathrooms with hot showers. Throughout the trip we ate a variety of excellent food consisting of salads, hot buffet food, fruit and even some western favourites such as pizza. The students really did enjoy the residential side of the visit in addition to the wonderful daytime experiences. The safety of students is of course paramount and, although Rwanda is presently considered to be safer than the UK according to the World Economic Forum, all accommodation is gated and protected by security guards. This is a safe and secure visit.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Amakuru’s Rwanda Journey to you. It offers students a unique opportunity to visit a wonderful country, learn about its troubled past, but also play a part in celebrating its optimistic future. It is thought-provoking, mind-changing, incredibly rewarding – and often a great deal of fun. I am more than willing to provide further details to any school considering this visit."

Simon Holmes, Assistant Head, ThePurbeck School – November 2016