Our Work in Rwanda

  • World Dancers walking with the Twirererabana ("Let Us Raise Our Children") Co-op, July 2016 - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Janet and Twirererabana President, Olive - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Twirererabana Co-op meeting - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Naome, Tubehotwese ("Let Us All Live") President - Photo: Fran Collin

  • Olga at her first co-op visit, Cokawi - Photo: Fran Collin

  • Janet and Icyerecezo ("Vision") President - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Student Leadership Training - Photo: Justin Bisengimana

  • Genevieve with the kids at Tubehotwese - Photo: Janet Reineck

  • Children in the Nursery School we started at Tubehotwese - Photo: Fran Collin

  • Annetta's "High Five" at Cokawi - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Danna with the Tubehotwese children - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Katrina and Bryan with the kids - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Welcoming a new cow into the co-op - Photo: Justin Bisengimana

  • Debra with a newly named calf, "Devon" - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Cokawi's Milk Goat - Photo: Fran Collin

  • The life-changing gift of a goat for a co-op family - Photo: Janet Reineck

  • Cokawi chicken business - Photo: Justin Bisengimana

  • Twa (Pygmy) seamstress - Photo: Olga Herrera Pinal

  • Twiyubaka ("Let Us Improve Ourselves") Handcrafts - Photo: Janet Reineck

  • Twa hoeing their fields - Photo: Justin Bisengimana

  • Danna dancing at Kungabu - Photo: Fran Collin

  • Jeremy and Olga dancing with a fisherman - Photo: Genevieve Feiner

  • Meeting with Cokawi about their co-op work - Photo: Fran Collin

  • Visiting the Twirererabana land - Photo: Fran Collin

“Our generous and life-changing sisters, I wish I could be with you to express gratitude for the blessings I have because of you. I am not growing older but growing younger; you keep me strong all the time. You brought back my hope and happiness. Now I have you as my sisters, and a strong foundation for my children and grandchildren. I meet with you in my heart anytime I think of what you are doing for us. My heart is connected to yours and I can feel it. My life is no longer the same since you started helping us.” – Mary Kanzayire, Twiyubake Co-op

 

rwanda africa mapWorld Dance for Humanity (WD4H) is a Santa Barbara-based grassroots organization helping 28 Rwandan communities left divided and destitute by the 1994 Genocide. Our work is in partnership with African Blessings, a Rwanda-based non-profit, led by our Program Director Justin Bisengimana. Together we provide goats and  cows, farmland, student stipends, support for community-run businesses, training (in agriculture, business, and leadership), and community support (textbooks, cookstoves, health insurance, solar lights, mattresses, bikes, etc.). With this assistance, we’re able to help 14,000 people build new lives.

Our goal is to help these people “own their transformation” by supporting projects that they envision and plan. This approach is possible thanks to our Rwanda Team whose deep understanding of their people and extraordinary dedication make it possible to penetrate the hopelessness and division in these communities and inspire them to work together toward a brighter future.

EVERY PENNY from our dance classes, donations, and grants goes to our work in Rwanda, thanks to an annual gift that covers our minimal overhead.

See Field Reports with details about past projects
Learn about the communities we serve
Rwandan women’s stories

Since 2013, we have provided:

  • 1,576 Goats for families
  • 83 full-grown, pregnant Cows collectively owned by the co-op (includes 19 cows soon to be delivered)
  • 111 Calves from these cows
  • 7 parcels of farmland
  • Education Stipends for 390 Primary, High School and College students
  • Two Preschools for children 4-7 years-old, including buildings, equipment, and teachers’ salaries
  • Annual Training Workshops in Agriculture, Veterinary, Business, and Leadership
  • Health Insurance for 955 people (on average) each year who cannot afford the $5 annual fee
  • 19 Co-op Businesses: Bakeries, Seamstresses, Event Rentals, a Water Project, a Café, Ventilation Bricks, a Craft Store, Bees, Beet-Juice, and a Tilapia Fish Farm
  • Reusable Menstrual Pad Production in 4 co-ops
  • 400 Water Filters & Training (each serves 10 people for 3 years)
  • 35 Bicycles for businesses to transport goods
  • 613 Mattresses
  • 619 Solar lights
  • 66 Clean-Air Cookstoves
  • 8 Laptops to Co-op Businesses
  • 6 Rain Water Collection Tanks