Transfer students from Akilah’s former campus in Burundi graduated in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 10. Many hope to stay in Rwanda after graduation.

On an overcast, drizzly morning typical for the season, a festive graduation day passed at the Akilah Institute, an all-women’s college based in Kigali, Rwanda. It had all of the usual pomp and circumstance of an ordinary college graduation, though there was nothing ordinary about it. Christa Kakunze, 23, with her mom and two brothers in attendance, was beyond excited to receive her two-year diploma in small business management and entrepreneurship, a credential she intends to put to immediate use. Christa graduated alongside more than 100 other career-minded women, a remarkable achievement in itself for many reasons. The first being that the number of adolescent girls across the region to complete secondary school still hovers in the single digits, and even fewer go on to tertiary education. The second is that Christa is not Rwandan. She’s Burundian, from Gitega, the country’s second-largest town, about two hours from Bujumbura.

Christa Kakunze plans to launch a microloan business in Rwanda.

Christa, who was trying on her black cap and gown before the ceremony, described how she began her studies at Akilah Burundi but was forced to transfer to the Rwanda campus due to the political crisis sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for reelection to a third term. This latest crisis only compounded Burundi’s problems. The country had been struggling to emerge from an ethnic-based civil war that ended more than a decade ago and remains one of the five poorest countries in the world, with a life expectancy of 50 years for men and women. The economy is wholly dependent on foreign aid, though many of the development assistance organizations have pulled out. Food insecurity, the result of declining food production related to climate shocks as well as ongoing instability, persists around the country. Women in particular, especially those in rural areas, have limited opportunities to secure jobs or advance in their chosen professions.

Christa and her fellow students were angry when the college unexpectedly closed at the onset of this new wave of violence, a decision made when the school’s leadership determined they could no longer offer a safe environment for students to learn. This workforce education program was their chance, perhaps their only one, to forge a better life for themselves and their families. Thirty-seven of the 150 young women studying there, including Christa, were able to transfer to Akilah’s Rwanda campus to complete their coursework. The process was not without challenges. Families went to incredible lengths to help their girls to study; the students themselves had to adjust to a new education system. They had to assimilate. Still they managed, even thrived, taking on student leadership positions, joining clubs, and participating in local social change projects.

The girls who didn’t transfer were not so lucky; many of them gave up. “They got married, had babies,” Christa said. “For us it’s different. We are putting into practice what we’ve learned first, then marriage, then family. It’s important to have a career, to realize that we can succeed on our own, without asking a husband or a father.”

Marie Umugabekazi hopes to find a job in Rwanda before her visa is up in December.

Christa has no interest in returning to Burundi anytime soon. She hopes to find short-term work in Rwanda while launching her own business, a company that offers microloans to students. “Here it is stable. It is still unpredictable in Burundi. It is not wise to go there now,” she explained. Christa is not alone. Another graduate, Marie Umugabekazi, 22, also has no plans to return home, mainly due to the security situation, but also because there are no jobs. Marie is from the Cibitoke Province, an area near Congo and Rwanda known for its farming and cement industry. “There are more opportunities for me here,” said Marie, who wore large purple earnings and a pale green shirt under her black gown. She excelled in her marketing courses at Akilah and recently completed a required three-month internship with a digital marketing company. She hopes to find a job in Rwanda before her visa is up in December. Of the 37 transfer students who graduated, seven did their internships in Burundi; the majority plan to stay in Rwanda.

It would be a mistake to think that these women don’t love their mother country. As the graduation ceremony neared its close, the women danced together with a Burundi flag draped around their shoulders, bursting with national pride. With the forced migration of almost 400,000 people to date, including some of the country’s best and brightest, Burundi could soon be facing an altogether different crisis — the loss of its finest talent. When the fighting eventually stops, it will take thousands of Christas and Maries to help it get back on its feet again. Whether these exceptional young women and others like them are willing to return home then, to give Burundi another chance, is an open question.

Karen Sherman is President of the Akilah Institute. She is the author of the forthcoming book, “Brick by Brick: What a Year in Rwanda Taught Me About Marriage, Motherhood, and the Gift of Choice.”