KIGALI - Imbuto Foundation, yesterday, rewarded 136 girls who excelled in last year’s national exams.

The girls, who include 118 top performers in Primary Six, 12 in Senior Three and six at Senior Six are from the five districts of Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge, Bugesera and Gicumbi. 

The exercise which has been taking place for the 7th year running, is an initiative of Imbuto Foundation, under the stewardship of First Lady Jeannette Kagame.

Gifts for the best performers in primary and O’Level national exams included school bags that contained dictionaries, a vocabulary and grammar books, Atlas text books, calculators, mathematical sets, a watches, pens and an envelope containing Frw20, 000.

As it happened elsewhere in the country, the best senior six performers received a laptop and Rwf 20, 000 for basic computer training course.

Also rewarded in a ceremony held at Kagarama Secondary School in Kicukiro District, were 10 outstanding Guardian Angels, locally known as Malayika Murinzi from the five districts.

Each of the guardians received a cow and a certificate in recognition of their outstanding guardianship.

Most of the Guardian Angels recognized are those who adopted children they found abandoned by their biological mothers.

It was a moment of tears-of-joy to parents, especially mothers who attended the event as one of the recipient guardians; Specioza Mukabigwi, gave a testimony of how she adopted four children.

Mukabigwi, who hails from Kicukiro, said she adopted the first child (girl) 17 years ago when she found her abandoned in the bush.

"The baby girl was less than six months old and was in poor condition,” said Mukabigwi, who was by then single.

Mukabigwi has no biological child. Her only child died "and I was told by doctors that I cannot give birth anymore.”

"I never adopted them with hope that I will be rewarded. I adopted them because I thought it’s my responsibility since they were abandoned and had no one to take care of them,” said Mukabigwi.
"They are my children. I will do everything for them.”

Solina Nyirahabimana, the Minister in the President’s Office, who represented the First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, , urged the students to work hard and excel even at the next levels."Excellence inspires excellence.

What you think and dream should inspire you to do more,” said Nyirahabimana, adding that the country is being built on a knowledge-based economy.

"Awarding you is to inspire you to do more,” she noted.Nyirahabimana appealed to parents to join hands with the government to do away with obstacles that previously affected education, especially among girls.

Since the inception of ‘Promotion of Girls’ Education’ (Rewarding Best Performing Girls) in 2005 to encourage and increase academic success of girls, about 2,470 girls have been rewarded countrywide.

Yesterday, Imbuto concluded this year’s recognition events that took place countrywide.

Ends