Wellspring will be a catalyst for transforming education and fostering vibrant communities that address poverty in all its forms. Wellspring seeks justice, worth and dignity for all those with whom it engages showing the love of Christ and empowering new generations through quality education in Africa. Through locally relevant, sustainable, and scalable models, Wellspring empowers Rwandan parents, teachers, school and community leaders, as well as local and national government officials with training, coaching, research and advocacy to ensure Rwandan children have access to exceptional learning experiences in inclusive, engaging, playful, adaptive and character-building classrooms; nurturing healthy home environments that support holistic growth and learning; and, the necessary tools, knowledge and life skills for emotional resilience, well-being and good mental health. Children who come to school from a nurturing, safe, and stimulating home are ready to learn, socialize and self-regulate. Unhealthy family life leads to childrens' stunted growth, poor emotional health, early pregnancy, substance abuse, and poor school performance. Healthy families nurture healthy children leading to the improved ability for children to stay in school and truly learn. Unfortunately, as a result of cultural norms and the 1994 genocide, many Rwandan parents lack role models and generalized society-based learning to develop positive parenting skills. At Wellspring's 2022 Healthy Families workshop, parents shared painful stories of family violence, marriage breakdown, and childrearing challenges, including neglect, mistreatment and conflict. Rwanda's 2023 National Strategy to Address Drop Out cites family conflict as a key cause of school absenteeism. Rwandan parents need knowledge and skills to contribute positively to the holistic development of their children so they can learn and thrive. This pilot project will test a model to equip and empower 360 village-level "Community Influencers" to provide support, training, and coaching to 7200 Rwandan parents and caregivers to strengthen positive attitudes and increase knowledge and skills in developing healthy/equitable relationships and in positive parenting. This project will result in healthier marriages and flourishing families that provide safer and more developmentally and emotionally supportive homes for Rwandan girls and boys leading to more consistent school attendance and a greater capacity for children to learn. Funding from Acts of Grace will provide 100% of the resources needed for all foundational stages of the project, including a collaborative and participant-driven approach to project design, the creation of all training materials and methods suited to the local context and the development of robust monitoring and evaluation processes with clear outcomes and indicators of impact.

Project Pictures

This project is part of a recurring grant that was originally approved in 2023 and will take place over the years 2023-2026.