Education truly is the keystone of equality, it opens doors and empowers people with the knowledge they need to change their lives for the better. As of 2010 the literacy rate for Rwandans aged 1 and over was at 71%, up from 48% in 1995 – which is obviously a good step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go; especially in the rural regions.

Our partner is a UK-based charity that supports schools to set up businesses that provide hands-on training and experience for pupils, enabling them to leave school with additional skills to get a job or run their own business. These skills are of great use in developing nations such as Rwanda, they grant economic independence through legitimate means to people who otherwise would have quite likely been swallowed up by the poverty cycle of rural subsistence farming. In addition, the income the businesses generate is used to supplement school fees and improve the quality of the education available for the students.

They have recently been awarded institutional donor funding and are working in partnership with another well-established UK charity to support 28 schools in southern Rwanda. This is a huge chance to simultaneously develop the education programmes available in these schools whilst also teaching the students practical life lessons that will support them financially in the future. They are looking to provide them with seed capital to start up their businesses, as well as support them in creating business plans and managing and growing their businesses. They already have the majority of their systems and processes in place for standard financial management, but the technical officers feel they need more support when it comes to the dispersal of start-up capital to schools for their businesses. They would like help in implementing and refining this policy across the 28 schools and in a low resource setting. The real skill here is striking a balance between the complex requirements from the donor, and a system that the schools and their local technical officers can manage easily.

They would welcome you spending time at the schools so that staff are able to get support in setting up the financial systems for their new businesses; this however, will be a secondary priority to working with their technical officers. This is a great chance for you to put your skills to the test in a dynamic environment – but this assignment is definitely one for those with a sense of adventure. Much of your travels from school to school will be done on the back of a motorbike speeding through the luscious jungle dirt-tracks of rural Rwanda.

This exciting prospect would be the perfect way into the international development sector for those looking to gain experience, but would also be an exhilarating and rewarding break for anyone who wants to escape the office.

Our partner is willing to cover flights and accommodation, but would prefer to do so for those planning on volunteering for a longer duration. Please note that overseas assignments, in this case Rwanda, incur a placement fee as per the AfID Structured Volunteer Programme fee scale (see FAQs for more details).

Ready for an adventure? Get in touch today - Send your CV to volunteers@afid.org.uk or call +44(0)208 741 7000 

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