Meet the Students: Annet

“I’ve learned about community leadership, which will help me in creating and managing my own business properly.”

—Annet Mugongayire, Entrepreneurship, Class of 2015

I was born in 1989 in Uganda. I’m the fifth born in a family of seven. I only have my mother now, as my father died a few years ago. When I started primary school in 1999, I was one of only two Rwandese students and other schoolmates often ridiculed us and referred to us as refugees. All that time, I kept asking my parents when we could go back to our country because the Ugandan kids discriminated against us and I could feel they hated us. My parents did not want to go back to Rwanda because they were Tutsis who were targeted and chased out of Rwanda in 1972. I came back to Rwanda in 2006 to continue my studies while my parents stayed in Uganda. It felt good to not be called a refugee.

It felt good to not be called a refugee.

My father passed away in 2007 and I was heartbroken. Life became more difficult and my eldest brother had to resume my father’s responsibilities. We struggled to get school fees and meet family needs. At the time, my brother was working in Rwanda and decided to have my mother come back to Rwanda to join us as well.

I heard about Akilah while I was in the church. They announced that it was a school for girls and that it helps by offering scholarships to students. I told my brother, who had been helping with my school fees, about Akilah. I applied and was accepted.

My long-term goal is to start a kindergarten school with good standards in my village, since there is a lack of good education for young children there.

Akilah has helped me to improve my English through writing, reading, listening, and speaking. Before Akilah, I was not good at public speaking, but I think I’m pretty good! The Kanapi sessions have helped me change my attitude from negative to positive. I also learned about community leadership, which will help me in creating and managing my own business properly.

My short-term goal after graduating from Akilah is to find employment and to work for three years. After saving some money, I would like to own a hardware store. My long-term goal is to start a kindergarten school with good standards in my village, since there is a lack of good education for young children there. At Akilah I learned about the three core competencies of community leadership: framing ideas, building social capital, and mobilizing resources, all of which will be important to achieving my goals.

If you wish to support an Akilah student like Annet, please visit our donate page.