Fiston Vedaste Mbanenayo

Program Manager with Acacia Accounting Associates

The Acacia program started in September 2014, so it’s still new in Rwanda and probably East Africa. I haven’t seen another program like it in the region.

The program allows each student to defer up to 70% of their tuition fees. They pay the other 30% at the beginning of each semester and a quarterly service fee of 15%, which is reinvested in the program. After graduation, if they get a job right away, they start paying off their deferred amount. Students who don’t get a job can request a grace period of six months.

We also put them in teams of five to form joint limited liability groups. Each student pays a deposit of 25,000 Rwandan Francs (US$34) into a collateral pool that group members can dip into to pay their quarterly fees. Those five students are responsible for each other. If a student doesn’t pay on time or doesn’t pay at all, we take up to 50% of their collective deposit. For these groups, we hold meetings and social outings so they can get to know each other. If they have a problem, they consult with me to fix it. They hold each other accountable.

Some students wouldn’t be at Akilah right now if it wasn’t for the Acacia program. Many come from poor families, and I saw cases where students missed a semester of school because they couldn’t pay for their tuition. But with this program, the girls can be at school the whole time.

Imagine meeting these girls at their future workplaces, when they are moving forward financially and personally with their families. If you help students like this, girls from poor families, you are helping society and the world in general. You are helping the generation to come. These girls will be mothers, and if they get a good education, their children will be in a good position to study and be productive in society.