Announcement: FAWE is Getting a NEW Science Lab!

FAWE Science Laboratory Facility Construction Project 2019 

Project A.B.L.E. (Aid on Behalf of Literacy and Education) in Tanzania and Komera, in partnership with FAWE Girls Secondary School in Gahini, Rwanda, are building a brand-new facility on campus. Ali Samadi, Project A.B.L.E. co-founder and Komera board member, visits Rwanda annually, and in June 2018 met with school leaders at FAWE to plan and implement this project after seeing the opportunity and potential at FAWE, one of the top all-girls boarding schools in Rwanda, to exponentially increase access to STEM education for young women. The lab is scheduled to open for classes summer 2019. 

Komera students at FAWE Girls School in Gahini.

History of Partnership

The Forum of African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is a Pan-African organization focused on supporting women and girls’ education; the Rwandan chapter was established in 1997. FAWE has 2 Secondary Schools in Rwanda educating hundreds of bright female students.

For the past five years, Komera has partnered with FAWE to provide 121 Komera Scholars with high quality comprehensive education. This year alone, Komera has 32 scholars attending the FAWE school in Gahini.

FAWE Girls School in Gahini

The FAWE school has 19 teachers and 15 classrooms all contributing to the education of 594 young women. Last year, 118 students graduated from the FAWE school in Gahini. Each year, FAWE graduates consistently score among the highest in the country on national exams. It is widely considered one of the best secondary schools in Rwanda.

FAWE at sunset: The future site of the science lab!

Girls Education in STEM

FAWE has excelled in providing quality education to many young women in Rwanda. What makes FAWE unique is its focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum for young women. Worldwide STEM careers are among the highest in gender disparity. Today, only 35% of all students are enrolled in science-related fields and only 3% of ICT graduates are female (UNESCO 2017). This inequality exists in Rwanda as well. Greater representation of women in STEM will not only break down stereotypes and inequality it will improve the economy of the country as a while. The proliferation of women in STEM is vital in Rwanda’s mission to become a hub of innovation and technology.

Lack of access to education is cited as one of the main barriers to women achieving equal representation in the STEM field. With quality STEM education, women have more opportunities to excel in the field. Another barrier to gender equality in STEM is the lack of role models and emotional support. Komera and FAWE have targeted this issue by training teachers at FAWE to be mentors, providing vital support to Komera Scholars while they are away at school. Currently we have two mentors at FAWE who are encouraging young women to set goals and achieve them!