As one of the Akilah Institute’s first donors, Dean Engle has been a passionate supporter every step of our journey. Most recently, to celebrate the launch of our upcoming virtual event, Ignite Our Future, Dean and the Park Tree Foundation have pledged to match every ticket purchase with a donation of up to $20,000.

Dean’s dedication to our mission stems from a deep belief in women’s education and a connection he forged with Rwanda in his early twenties. His story highlights the importance of community, connection, and collaboration — values that also align strongly with our organization’s culture.

Dean’s first experience with Rwanda was as a 25 year old in 1994, during the Genocide against the Tutsi. Over the course of some 100 days, it is estimated that more than 800,000 civilians were killed during the campaign and around 2,000,000 Rwandans fled the country. Dean was working for CARE as a team leader distributing food to 110,000 people living in three Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, all around Gikongoro. “The image pressed into my mind of that time is blue tents, the smell of Eucalyptus wood burning in hundreds of small cook fires, and the cries of children at night,” he recalls.

Fighting corruption as they compiled lists of IDPs for food distributions. Staff threatened by machete-wielding Interahamwe to give out extra tickets for food distributions. Riding in the backseat of army jeeps, accompanying French paras on midnight runs to rescue Tutsi from rafters and ceilings. Subsisting on avocados, roasted goat and coca cola. And the ever-smiling Samuel and Ildephonse, young men who came to work every day despite having lost family only weeks earlier. Searing memories.

Yet Rwanda holds a special place in his heart; “I was awed by Rwandans’ ability to accept what had happened as if it had been an act of God. And the milles collines — as background to that act — were the beautiful canvas on which the horror was written. Today, the horror is gone and the canvas, more beautiful than before, remains.”

Dean has returned once, in 1998, and was impressed at how fast the country had developed in such a short span of time. All signs of the IDP camps were gone and Kigali was bustling. The country was taking the lead in a range of development statistics, like GDP per capita and secondary school graduation rates, which he attributes to its leaders: “Rwanda’s long-term vision and sustained drive to develop and grow, is remarkable.”

“I can’t wait to visit with my family once again, to see what Akilah has done and how it has helped Rwanda to become East Africa’s shining example of what acts of God can unlock.”

As a husband and father to four teenage daughters, Dean believes strongly that women deserve the best opportunities possible in life, which start with receiving a quality education. And his ongoing commitment to our organization is how he is ensuring such opportunities continue to be available for young female leaders. “Akilah provides the best, and does the most. Of that I’m sure.”

Dean’s philanthropic side was nurtured at a young age. He tells of a time when he was 10 years old and living in Greece: “Each year my school sponsored a marathon, from the town of Marathon to the capital, Athens. It took me 5 hours and 5 minutes. My parents drove beside me in their old Mercedes, handing me hot chocolate and sandwiches to keep me going. In life, the runners that run longer and farther have their supporters by their side. I no longer seek to run a marathon. Instead, I am looking for good runners to drive beside or behind, to hand hot chocolate to. Akilah is one of those runners.”

Our work in educating East Africa’s future leaders is made possible largely due to the support of an incredible community of donors like Dean and the Park Tree Foundation.

The crisis and adversity we faced in 2020 almost brought our beloved institution to its knees. Yet our students and staff embraced each challenge as an opportunity to grow into stronger and wiser leaders. We chose not just to survive, but to adapt, restore, and ultimately flourish.

Come together with our community at our virtual event on May 15 to hear inspiring stories of transformation: from painful challenges to acceptance and emergence.

Will you join us and help ignite our future?

Purchase your tickets today and double your impact with the generous match from Dean and the Park Tree Foundation: www.akilahinstitute.org/events