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| Teacher Jeniffer Awuor goes over an arithmetic lesson for her students at Little Gems Pre-Primary School in Gikondo, the first Turkish school in Rwanda. Photo: (Mark Darrough) |
Ustun, 29, a qualified teacher majoring in mathematics and sciences for primary school level, has lived and worked in Africa for seven years mainly in South Africa, Kenya, Djibouti and Somaliland in social work.
He says he knows Rwanda through the former Mufti of Rwanda Sheik Saleh Habimana. Sheik Habimana met his colleague in Kenya in 2008 and invited them to come and support vulnerable children in Rwanda, especially Muslim children, a call that they responded to positively.
Ustun did not come immediately but his friend came and introduced a South Africa based nonprofit organization---Universal Islamic Culture and Trust (U.I.C.T)—in Rwanda. The organization was giving support to vulnerable children.
When his friend went back, Ustun came to Rwanda and served as the country representative for UICT. He later resigned and decided to partner with Rwandese to set up an association which is currently providing support to around 40 students and is involved in construction of schools.
As a qualified teacher, Ustun says that Rwanda needed quality education and he decided to be part of the solution. “I decided to do something bigger than just working for an NGO. Distributing food and clothes to students was not enough,” he explains. “I thought what was the best was to give education so I decided to open a school to give much better quality education so that I can change something.”
Ustun and his association decided to lease land in Gikondo, Kigali City for 20 years and constructed a pre-primary school with everything designed in the Turkish style. The school, which began admitting children of 2 years and six months to 3 years, currently has 22 pupils but it has the capacity to accommodate between 200 and 250 children. The school currently offers pre-primary lessons and also admits pupils in primary one. Ustun says that they plan to construct a separate primary school next year.
Ustun explains that he hired Kenyan teachers and one Turkish teacher in order to ensure that pupils master the English language. Currently, the school has three Kenyan teachers, including the headmistress and one Turkish teacher, but it is looking forward to recruiting a French teacher.
Little Gems, says Ustun, has provided jobs to five Rwandans in addition to the Kenyan and Turkish nationals.
Excerpted from the article published on The Independent, 11 June 2012, Monday
