RWANDA | GASHORA GIRLS SCHOOL
In the wake of the 1994 genocide, Rwanda has faced immense challenges but has also emerged as a global leader in innovative development—particularly in education.
One powerful example is the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology, an upper-secondary boarding school located in the Gashora District. As part of the Rwanda Girls Initiative, the school was founded in 2008 by Soozi Sinegal McGill and Shal Foster, who believed that the most effective way to help young women become leaders in their communities is through STEM education.
What began as an ambitious effort to make a difference in the lives of a handful of young women has since become an astonishing case study in what becomes possible when barriers to opportunity are removed, and young women are empowered to lead. In a country where 16% of girls graduate from high school, the Academy has prepared more than 600 young women to attend 162 different universities in 25 countries around the world. In the process, these young women aren’t just changing their own communities.
They’re changing the world.
Since first visiting Rwanda in 2009, Harbers Studios has partnered with the Academy to produce films highlighting their transformative work, which have become invaluable tools for fundraising. Through photography, I’ve sought to capture the powerful joy and determination of the young women pursuing their dreams.