The school was funded by BIKE AID and the entrepreneurs Paul Kast and Uwe Kuntz.
The Groupe Scolaire Ruyenzi is about 100 kilometers from Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. In 1990 the school was built by the MINEDUC (Ministry of Education) - since then there haven’t been any renovations or renewals. Parts of the building were in heavily damaged condition and were a hazard to childrens health because of the dangerous structure. Furthermore, the school didn’t have enough room for more than 1500 children: there were only 18 class rooms and the children took classes in shift, some started in the morning, others in the afternoon.
With the help of BIKE AID, Uwe Kuntz and other supporters two new buildings were installed, to give the children more room to study, play and develop. In total 60.000 Euro were spent to build two news school buildings.
In terms of hygiene, the situation was also critical. There were only 16 latrines in bad condition and there was a lack of groundwater supply. In order to provide water to the new classrooms, new water tanks and latrines were installed, also for disabled children.
The school opening was a big celebration with traditional performances from children and allocutions from the teachers and other school members. A delegation from Germany with representatives from different fields, the German press and the BIKE AID Pro Cycling Team were part of the festivities.
The BIKE AID Team arrived in Rwanda a few hours before the school opening and will be taking part in the Tour du Rwanda, starting Sunday, 23rd of February. The Tour du Rwanda is on of the biggest cycling event in Africa with over 3.5 Million visitors. For BIKE AID Pro Cycling Team Mekseb Debesay, Salim Kipkemboi, Suleiman Kangani, Matthias Schnapka and Nikodemus Holler will participate.
