Mount Kigali University (MKUR) has officially commissioned the Kinyinya Early Childhood Development and Family (ECD&F) Centre in partnership with the Imbuto Foundation, marking another milestone in the University’s commitment to translating education, innovation and knowledge into meaningful community impact.
The commissioning brought together the Kigali City Vice Mayor for Socio-Economic Affairs, Urujeni Martine; Prof. Simon Gicharu, Founder and Chairman of Mount Kigali University; Imbuto Foundation Director General, Elodie Shami; National Child Development Agency (NCDA) Director General, Assumpta Ingabire; representatives of ECD partners, MKU staff, parents, caregivers and children.
The Centre represents more than physical infrastructure. It is an investment in children, families, communities and Rwanda’s future, while providing a platform for early childhood learning and family support.The initiative directly supports the Mount Kigali University Strategic Plan 2026–2030, particularly its priorities around community impact, Corporate Social Responsibility, digital transformation, innovation, research and strategic partnerships. The University’s approach is anchored in the belief that a university should not only educate students, but also transfer knowledge, innovation and skills to the community and contribute to its wellbeing.
Under its partnership with Imbuto Foundation, MKUR committed to the construction of two ECD&F Centres. The first, located in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District, was launched and operationalised in October 2025, while the Kinyinya Centre becomes the second. Together, the two centres represent an investment of FRW 300 million by MKUR.
For MKUR, however, the impact goes beyond construction. The University is committed to creating a stronger connection between its academic expertise and the needs of the communities it serves. As Prof. Simon Gicharu, Founder and Chairman of Mount Kigali University, stated: “Our belief is simple: a university must not only educate students; it must transfer knowledge, innovation and skills to the community and contribute to its wellbeing.” This commitment creates opportunities for MKUR students, researchers and experts to become part of the solution, taking knowledge from the classroom into the community, while bringing community challenges back to the University as opportunities for research, innovation and learning. This approach reflects MKUR’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030, particularly its focus on community impact, innovation, research, digital transformation and strategic partnerships.
Speaking during the commissioning, Kigali City Vice Mayor for Socio-Economic Affairs Urujeni Martine commended Imbuto Foundation and MKUR, noting that the investment should be viewed not simply as a building project, but as an investment in human infrastructure beginning with the child. She emphasised that investing in Early Childhood Development is an investment in the human capital Rwanda will require over the next 30–50 years. She further noted that an ECD centre should not be viewed merely as a place where children spend the day, but as a package of interconnected services supporting the holistic development of children and serving as a learning process for families. The Vice Mayor also underscored the importance of ensuring that such investments produce measurable results, including improved parental knowledge, readiness and utilisation of ECD services.
Imbuto Foundation Director General Elodie Shami described the commissioning as much more than opening the doors of a new facility. She highlighted the opportunity for children to learn, play and grow in a safe environment, noting that the future of a nation begins with its children. She also recognised the longstanding partnership between Imbuto Foundation and MKU, noting that the collaboration has resulted in the completion of two model ECD centres and thanking MKU and the Government of Rwanda for their continued support. The partnership between MKUR and Imbuto Foundation dates back to 2018, when MKUR supported vulnerable secondary-school students through the Edified Generation Programme. The partnership was renewed in 2022 with an expanded focus that included Early Childhood Development and Family services.
MKUR is now looking beyond traditional approaches to ECD by exploring opportunities to introduce a Smart ECD Classroom in the next phase of its partnership with Imbuto Foundation. The proposed Smart ECD Classroom would use appropriate technology to strengthen early learning, caregiver capacity, parental engagement and children’s exposure to a future-ready learning environment. The University’s approach is to use technology to make learning more engaging, interactive and responsive to children’s needs, not simply to introduce technology for its own sake.
This ambition builds on MKUR’s existing investment in smart classrooms, ICT-enabled learning and digital transformation, as well as its innovation ecosystem, which includes robotics, virtual reality, drones, journalism studios, computer laboratories and the Nyamata Incubation Hub. In this way, knowledge generated and developed within the University can progressively find its way into communities, and, equally importantly, community needs can inform what students and researchers learn, investigate and innovate. Recognising that learning cannot be separated from wellbeing, Prof. Simon Gicharu, Founder and Chairman of Mount Kigali University, announced a commitment of FRW 32.76 million to provide milk to children attending the Centre for the full 52 weeks of the year, emphasising that “Education must go together with proper nutrition, health, care and family support.”
The announcement was welcomed as an important contribution to the holistic development and welfare of children. NCDA Director General Assumpta Ingabire commended MKUR for its financial contribution and collaboration with Imbuto Foundation, noting that such investments help shape communities and the future of children. She also appreciated the milk support and expressed anticipation for the proposed Smart Classroom initiative. She reaffirmed NCDA’s commitment to working with partners to strengthen ECD services across Rwanda, noting that expanding early childhood development is consistent with Rwanda’s development vision.
The Kinyinya ECD&F Centre represents Mount Kigali University’s contribution to the aspirations of Rwanda Vision 2050, particularly its focus on developing high-quality human capital, strengthening education and skills, promoting innovation and technology, and building resilient and prosperous communities. By investing in early childhood development, MKUR is contributing to the foundation of the healthy, skilled and productive population required to drive Rwanda’s long-term transformation. This commitment also aligns with MKUR’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030, which seeks to translate knowledge, research and innovation into meaningful community impact.
Through its partnership with the Imbuto Foundation, MKUR aims to deepen its contribution in early childhood development, nutrition, digital learning, innovation, research and skills development. The proposed Smart ECD Classroom further demonstrates MKUR’s commitment to using technology to enhance learning and support Rwanda’s digital transformation agenda. The Centre exemplifies how MKUR is extending its role beyond lecture halls and laboratories, positioning its students, researchers and experts as active contributors to community transformation and ensuring that knowledge is not only acquired, but shared, applied and translated into impact in support of the Rwanda envisioned under Vision 2050.
The Chairman emphasized on MKUR’s commitment to investing in children as a foundation for stronger families, resilient communities and a prosperous Rwanda: “When we invest in a child, we invest in a family. When we strengthen a family, we strengthen a community. And when we strengthen our communities, we build a stronger Rwanda.”