Generation Rwanda

Provides university scholarships to Rwandan orphans and socially vulnerable young people who will become Rwanda’s future leaders by promoting economic development and social reconciliation.

Generation Rwanda, formerly known as Orphans of Rwanda, is dedicated to helping orphans and other socially vulnerable young people in Rwanda pursue a university education and ultimately become leaders in driving economic development and social reconciliation. We currently support students who are united by a desire to create meaningful change in Rwanda’s economy and society.

The 1994 Rwandan genocide and the AIDS epidemic have produced the highest percentage of orphans in the world, with over 825,000 orphans in Rwanda–a country of 10 million people. Generation Rwanda aims to support the country’s development by enabling talented yet vulnerable young Rwandans to achieve their leadership potential. Our selection process is highly competitive.

Last year we received more than 4,000 applications from graduating students in rural schools and orphanages throughout rural Rwanda, and fewer than 1 percent were accepted into the program.
Of the students in our program, more than half have lost either both or one of their parents.

All of the students we support have overcome adversity and are driven to pursue their highest ambitions. During a student meeting in Kigali, one of our students said, “I have a dream that may sound more like a joke than a dream, but its craziness is matched by the depth with which I hold this dream in my heart. My goal is to be the best IT professional in Rwanda.” Given the historical exclusion of vulnerable Rwandans from attending university, such a statement would have once been outlandish; today, it is a concrete possibility