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In rural Rwanda, thousands of girls face the risk of dropping out of school due to poverty, lack of basic school materials, and menstrual health challenges. Women Plan Rwanda (WPR), a women- and youth-led NGO founded in 2023, is changing this narrative through its Drop Out Prevention Project (DOP Project), a program dedicated to keeping girls in school and unlocking their potential.
Women Plan Rwanda (WPR) is committed to empowering rural women, children, and youth through education, capacity building, and economic empowerment. By supporting the most vulnerable households, the organization ensures that poverty does not determine a girl’s future.
“This project supports girls from extremely poor families by paying their school fees so they can complete their secondary education,” explains Mbabazi Diana, WPR’s Communication and Development Manager.
“We provide school materials, tuition, and school feeding fees for those in the Nine Years Basic Education program.” She added. The project tackles not only financial barriers but also challenges linked to menstrual health.
Diana continued by saying:“We distribute sanitary pads as part of our efforts to raise awareness on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.”
“We want girls to understand their bodies, make informed choices, and stay healthy so they can stay in school.”
The impact of the DOP Project is best told by the girls whose lives have been transformed. Niyonsenga Adeline, a Senior 4 student studying Interior Design at GS Notre Dame de la Paix Cyanika, comes from a severely vulnerable family. She had always dreamed of studying in a boarding school, but her family could not afford it.
But she thanked the project by saying: “You paid my school fees and provided everything I needed, that support changed everything for me. My studies are going well; I scored 83% in my last test.”
Another beneficiary, Muragijimana Clarisse, now a student at ITER Rutobwe school in Electrical Technology, recalls how her family could not provide even basic school materials: “When the school asked for 15 notebooks, we could only afford three.”
With support from WPR, she received school feeding and all required materials, she thanked them.
“From that moment, I started loving school and studying with all my heart. I passed my exams well and was selected to join boarding school. Now my dream is to finish with high grades and help improve my family’s life.”
Sanitary pads are provided to girls to support menstrual hygiene
The DOP Project also prepares girls for a future of independence by offering training in savings and financial literacy. Through school clubs, girls learn how to save, set personal goals, and understand the principles of economic empowerment.
School materials are provided to the girls
These lessons are designed to last a lifetime.
WPR currently works in rural communities in Muhanga and Nyanza districts, supporting children from extremely poor households. To identify those most in need, the organization partners with school leaders and local authorities. Many supported students were previously suspended or had dropped out because they could not afford school feeding or required school materials.
So far, the impact is significant: 106 children are currently supported, 18 students are enrolled in boarding schools. Many beneficiaries have achieved high academic marks. The project is now entering its third year, with a vision to run more years and reach more vulnerable girls and women in rural areas
A call to keep their dreams alive
Every girl supported through the DOP Project represents a future leader, creator, innovator, or professional, someone whose potential would have been lost without timely support. Women Plan Rwanda invites partners and donors to join this mission of keeping girls in school, breaking cycles of poverty, and nurturing a generation of empowered young women.
“All together with our donors; When we keep a girl in school, we don’t just change her life, we change the future of her entire family and community.” Said MUVUNYI Gustave The founder and Executive director of Women Plan Rwanda.
