The Chinese Embassy in Rwanda and Imbuto Foundation, on Tuesday, November 2 signed an agreement to provide scholarships to bright students in high school who are from vulnerable backgrounds.

Under the MoU, the Chinese Embassy availed funds to the tune of Rwf30,770,000 which is to be used for students’ scholarships until the end of 2022.

Beneficiaries of this programme will receive assistance of up to $400 a year, to help meet their living costs in boarding schools. They will also get school uniforms and other items.

The sponsorship is part of the 'Edified Generation' scholarship programme initiated by Imbuto Foundation in 2002, to financially support bright students from economically vulnerable backgrounds in their pursuit of education.

The programme supports up to 694 secondary students from 102 secondary schools across the country, and has cumulatively provided over 9,000 scholarships to secondary school students to date.

Through an annual holiday camp, the scholars are equipped with life skills to complement their education, helping them to become integral citizens.

The support is part of China’s sustained contributions to Rwanda’s education and youth empowerment, which target the strengthening of people-to-people friendship between the two countries.

Since 2013, the Embassy of China in Rwanda has been providing scholarships to about 100 high school students from vulnerable families every year.

This renewed commitment has come at the occasion where the Embassy of China is celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between China and Rwanda, and Imbuto Foundation is observing its 20th anniversary since its founding.