Two schools in Rwanda for orphaned students were looking to improve the study equipment of their students. As a result, SCA donated 50 computers and other office supplies.
The schools, Groupe Scolaire Officiel (GSO) in Butare, the country's oldest secondary school, and the Centre des Jeunes in the capital city of Kigali, offer education to orphans who still would like to pursue their education even though it is not funded by the government.
It costs approx 55 Euro per student and trimester to attend the schools. At the same time their teaching and study equipment are not always up to date.
"In Rwanda, primary school is funded by the government, so most children can attend. But once these students get to secondary school level, the cost has to be taken on by the families. These students don’t always have the resources to continue with their education." explains Jean-Paul Résimont, former Managing director of SCA Containerboard.
Jean-Paul had been contacted by some Belgian friends working in Rwanda asking for assistance at their schools. "When I was in the country on a private visit, the urgency became clear immediately".
So Jean-Paul contacted SCA for assistance. As a result, SCA offered to donate approx. 50 computers and SCA Containerboard sponsored the shipment to Rwanda. "Our organisation started off as a private initiative but it was obvious we wanted to do more and through discussions with local contact persons in Rwanda we were able to set up collaboration with SCA."
