How MKUR-Imbuto Foundation partnership is boosting education in Rwanda
In 2018, MKU Rwanda entered into a five-year partnership with Imbuto Foundation. The principal aim was to increase educational access for bright students in Rwanda who hail from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Prof. Simon Gicharu, and Sandrine Umutoni, founder of MKU Rwanda and patron of the MKU Foundation, and Director General, Imbuto Foundation, respectively signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at MKU Rwanda boardroom in Kagarama.
Imbuto Foundation (Imbuto means seed), is one of Rwanda’s most impactful organizations. “A seed well planted, watered, nurtured and given all the necessary support successfully grows into a healthy plant – one that reaches high and stands tall. Imbuto Foundation envisions this for all its current initiatives and those in the future,” says the organization. It has the vision of creating a nation of empowered and dignified Rwandans, through the values of excellence, integrity, solidarity, and commitment. Its mission is to support the development of a healthy, educated and prosperous society. Some of its programmes are Health, Education, Youth, and Support to family initiatives.
Through this partnership, MKU Rwanda will contribute US$150,000, to Imbuto Foundation’s “Edified Generation” scholarships programme.
The money is disbursed in five annual instalments of US$30,000, in support of 100 vulnerable students in secondary schools.
In addition, the university will provide five scholarships to brilliant girls – also beneficiaries of Imbuto Foundation, every year, through to 2023.
In an effort to promote East African integration, three of those scholarships will be offered at MKU Rwanda, while the other two will be at MKU Main Campus in Thika, Kenya.