Dear Supporters,
Life at APIE has been unusual to say the least over the last few months. As is the case for so many organisations across the globe, our challenges, opportunities and working practices have been completely reshaped by the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools in Rwanda have been closed since March, and Umubano Academy pupils have been studying at home. Our teaching staff have been delivering remote learning support via WhatsApp, despite not being paid a formal salary for months. Following the closure of Kigali International Airport at the start of lockdown, APIE staff are now scattered, with all of us working from home in various parts of Africa and Europe, and looking after our own children as well whilst schools and childcare facilities remain closed.
But the reaction of our staff, donors and partners to the challenges of lockdown has been heartwarming and inspiring in equal measure. We've had an amazing response to our emergency appeal, enabling us to make hardship payments to Umubano staff, helping them keep their families fed and a roof over their heads. We've been able to continue to support some of the poorest families in our school community, and we've also ensured that both pupils and teachers have the technology, skills and resources to keep learning going despite school closures. We've even continued to train teachers in Rwanda using our online eLearning modules.
In addition to our emergency response, APIE has also installed solar panels on the roof of Umubano Academy to create a free, renewable source of electricity for the school. We've started work on the transformation of the school library, with a generous grant from the Dinan Family Foundation, and we've begun a 5 year partnership with the Lef Pillon Trust to continue to develop our work on Education for Sustainable Peace.
As always, your donations are vital, both for enabling us to provide crucial support to students, teachers and families during the ongoing Covid crisis, and for ensuring that we can continue to plan and deliver projects which support the transformation of teaching and learning in Rwanda. Thank you for your generosity.
I hope you enjoy reading in this newsletter about our projects and the many ways - big and small - that you can make a contribution to APIE's work. You can also learn more about our progress and priorities in our latest Annual Report.
Wishing you and your families all the best in continuing to face the many challenges of life under coronavirus.
Amy
Amy Barnecutt, APIE Chief Executive
