Antoinette

PROGRESS

OUR GOAL: A CIRCLE OF SUPPORTERS GIVING $350/MONTH OR $4200 FOR THE YEAR

GIVE

Rwanda

University of Rwanda

EDUCATION

CAREER: Teacher

GRAD DATE: 2023

JOURNEY

March 1, 2023 – In a recent Leadership Development Workshop, we explored the question, “How can you make sure the pain of your past doesn’t determine your future?” What stood out and meant the most to you in this workshop? Antoinette said: “I learned that my past cannot determine my future.”
September 8, 2022 – Antoinette discussed the biggest change in her life since the end of the COVID restrictions: “Before COVID, sometimes I could feel and sense a negative side of people, such as being boring, suffocating, and so on. But during COVID-19, I missed my people. I learned to love people around me while I still have chance to be with them. I am changed by that.”
September 13, 2021 – Antoinette shared her favorite song and what it means to her: “My favorite song is called “Izuba” by the Rwanda Defence Force military band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK2j4z87un8. It means more to me because it shows me how Rwanda survived. Rwanda suffered heavily in the wake of the 1994 genocide, but has since become strong. As the younger generation, it is our responsibility to love and protect our country. We are all Rwandans.”
July 16, 2021 – Antoinette shared what resilience means to her: “To me, resilience means that you are able to overcome any obstacle in your way, no matter how difficult it may seem.”
March 1, 2021 – Antoinette said her biggest lesson from 2020 was: “My biggest lesson from 2020 is saving and interpersonal relationship because 2020 was a year we had many difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic as a big challenge. I learned that we should save from the little we have to prepare for any unexpected thing that can come on the way.”

MESSAGE antoinette

Antoinette’S CIRCLE

BIO

Antionette grew up in a rural area of Gisagara district in Rwanda’s southern province. She is the second child in a family of six children (3 boys and 3 girls). She lived with both parents and they are subsistence farmers. While she was young, Antionette used to play with the neighboring children and she used to read books. In her community 99.9% depend on agriculture, so some children left school to help their parents on the farm. Her community challenges Antoinette to study hard and dream of being different and important to her village.

Antionette’s dream is to become one who is well educated, which will help her to become influential to her community. She is a student of the University of Rwanda, college of education. Her inspiration to study education came from the everyday life of her community. The level of education is still low quality and she wishes to contribute to the development of her community through supporting education (formal and informal).

Outside of her studies, Antionette enjoys chilling with her friends. When she is with her family, she enjoys helping her parents in farm activity, and assisting the neighbor children to revise their studies.