Focus Media (Kigali)
Mercy Omuntu
4 November 2009
A former soldier is now battling it out as a school director, and it seems she will once again be victorious. And she thinks it also makes her a better mother.
Yvonne Mubingi Twahirwa has always wanted to serve her country. Born in Uganda 41 years ago as the fifth in a Rwandan family of ten, she decided as a young woman that the only way to do so at that time was to fight for it. So in 1990 she joined the RPF army, even if that meant entering what society saw as a "man's world."
"I love my country and I wanted to contribute to its development," Twahirwa explains. "So I decided to participate in the fight for its peace and stability, so that fellow Rwandans could come home."
She served as 2nd lieutenant until 1997, when she retired from the army. "I couldn't continue working as a soldier after I started a family, especially after giving birth to my first two children through cesarean section," says Twahirwa, now a mother of four.
Yet she had no plans of becoming a housewife. If she couldn't serve her country as a soldier, she would find another way. "Even in my new status as a civilian, I wanted to do something beneficial to my society, and I didn't want to work for anybody but myself."
That is when Twahirwa came up with the idea of setting up an Anglophone school, since few of those existed at the time. "Together with a few colleagues, we started the school and even though it was my vision, everyone has greatly contributed to its development," she says.
The beginning was rather modest, though; since they did not have the means to buy or construct their own building, they started out in rented premises, and were able to hire only a few teachers. Yet over the years the school prospered, and through a loan they managed to build their own facilities. Today, ESSA Nyarugunga Secondary School in Kicukiro has about 700 students, both O and A levels.
"The fact that our school is able to serve the community and make a difference in many young people's lives, makes me happy," Twahirwa explains. She also points out that the experience has added more meaning to her role as a mother, because apart from acquiring academic knowledge from school, students - just like her children - need to be guided in their thinking and behavior.
"These kids come from different backgrounds and find themselves in a strange environment called school," she explains. "In that respect, I think it is easier for a woman than a man to deal with such children, because they need love and care to help them adjust. Getting involved with these kids and helping them grow into adults brings satisfaction to my heart."
But of course, sensitivity to the children's needs alone does not make you a successful school director. According to Twahirwa, determination, hard work and willingness to do something are the main pillars of her success. "You have to love what you are doing and have the courage to keep trying even when you do not make profit," she points out. "It hasn't always been a smooth road, but I am not complaining; we are starting to see the fruits of our labor, and I believe that in a few years we will really be at our peak."
Yet however much the ability to make good decisions is one way to achieving individual and national development, Twahirwa is convinced that patriotism should also be part of the approach. She therefore scoffs at people who send their children to foreign schools, claiming that the local ones aren't good.
"We need to support the local schools so they can reach the desired level," she argues. "It is the only way for our children to learn their culture at school."
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