Rotary and the community fundraise to send books abroad

Posted on August 3, 2015 by admin

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Three cheers of the Rotary Club of Langley Sunrise! These local Rotarians have recently pledged to help us raise funds to ship a container of books to Rwanda to stock new youth centre libraries this fall.

The club plans to fundraise and apply for a district grant to help support our latest initiative: shipping a container filled with enough books to stock up to 10 additional YEGO district youth centre community libraries in Rwanda.

The aim is to raise approximately $15,000 to ship up to 30,000 books, plus more than 2,000 dictionaries supplied by Rotary Clubs, and 50 soccer team jerseys which were donated by the Canadian women’s soccer team, which will support youth sports teams at the community centres.

Have a look at this presentation to learn more about how Rotary is helping Grace Rwanda change lives in Rwanda, one book at a time.

You can participate by dining for a cause this coming Saturday, August 8 at our Grace Rwanda Dinner and Social.The event will be hosted by the Riverside Calvary Chapel, at their church at 20178 96th Avenue, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

The evening will include presentations from co-founder Elizabeth Johnson, as well as an address from Pastor Brent Smith, an authentic Rwandan dinner, tea and dessert, plus African craft sales.

Learn more about the event or to RSVP email info@gracerwanda.org.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

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Join us for a Grace Rwanda dinner and social

Posted on July 20, 2015 by admin

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Help us send off the Grace Rwanda team as they set up the next phase of our mission in Rwanda and fundraise for a new book initiative!

Join us for an inspiring evening at next month’s Grace Rwanda Dinner and Social. The event will be hosted by the Riverside Calvary Chapel, at their church at 20178 96th Avenue on Saturday, August 8, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

Come hear how Elizabeth and Paul Johnson were moved to embark on their work in Rwanda, learn about their calling and motivation to serve through their non-profit charity and new Ineza Foundation venture.

The evening will include presentations from the couple, as well as an address from Pastor Brent Smith, an authentic Rwandan dinner, tea and dessert, plus African craft sales.

We hope to raise an estimated $15,000 for an upcoming charity initiative: shipping a container full of books this fall. We plan to fill it with enough volumes to stock up to 10 YEGO district youth centre community libraries in Rwanda. The aim is to ship up to 30,000 books, plus more than 2,000 dictionaries supplied by Rotary Clubs, and 50 soccer team jerseys donated to our charity in the past by the Canadian women’s soccer team, which will support youth sports teams at the community centres.

To learn more about the event or to RSVP email info@gracerwanda.org.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

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Grace Rwanda in the news: From Kwantlen to Kigali

Posted on July 20, 2015 by admin

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Grace Rwanda co-founder Elizabeth Johnson continues to inspire others with her dedication to youth literacy in Rwanda.

Recently the Kwantlen Polytechnic University graduate was profiled in the school’s 2014/15 Accountability Plan and Report, singled out with other exceptional grads who are contributing to their community.

In an article titled, “From KPU to Kigali: Langley humanitarian brings literacy to her home country,” the university highlighted Johnson’s “compassionate and international mindset,” and her “efforts to serve humanity and work toward peace.”

Here’s an excerpt:

Elizabeth Johnson is bringing literacy to Rwanda, one book at a time. Through the volunteer-run charity she co-founded after graduating from KPU’s School of Business, Johnson has to date helped renovate a Rwandan school, build six mini school libraries, build a kitchen facility that nourishes over 1,500 students and create two community youth centre libraries that are home to over 15,000 books.

Her next goal is to supply books to all 87,000 students in Rwanda’s Muhanga District, and 20 youth centres across the country. It’s work that takes a village. A Rotarian with Langley Sunrise, Johnson’s literacy efforts have connected local Rotary clubs in Langley and North Delta to multiple clubs in Rwanda. She has also received cross-Canada support from corporate sponsors and individuals.

The causes she supports have incredibly deep, personal roots within Johnson. Born and raised in Rwanda, she lived through the country’s Tutsi genocide in 1994. While there, she served in a variety of important positions with institutions that include the Ministry of Agriculture, Care Australia and World Vision. In 1999, she brought her compassionate and international mindset with her to Canada, where she now speaks across the country to raise awareness about genocide.

Read the full article in the Kwantlen report here, starting on page 33.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

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Looking ahead to the future of Grace Rwanda

Posted on July 19, 2015 by admin

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It’s been an exciting summer at Grace Rwanda as we prepare to move and launch our head office operations in Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali this fall.

As part of our preparation, we’ve been looking back at our work and looking ahead to our future. We have big plans for the organization’s growth and the extension of our mission abroad to bring a true culture of reading and literacy to as many Rwandan youth as we can reach.

If you’d like to read more about our path and our upcoming plans, have a read of our new 2015 Grace Rwanda Society Annual Report.

Inside, you’ll find updates on all our projects, financial benchmarks and future goals.

Also, stay tuned for news of our next public event. We’re planning a Rwandan Dinner and Craft Fair in August.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

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What’s new? Read our Spring/Summer 2015 Newsletter!

Posted on May 21, 2015 by admin

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We’ve got some big changes happening at Grace Rwanda and we’re excited to share them with you, including a staff move to Kigali, Rwanda, new board members, successful fundraisers, and more.

Catch up on all the latest and learn about all our activities and everything that you have helped us accomplish to improve youth literacy in Rwanda in our Spring/Summer 2015 Newsletter.

Thanks again to all our supporters who help make all of our work possible.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

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Grace Rwanda on the road to Missions Fest

Posted on May 16, 2015 by admin

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Grace Rwanda is out in the community this spring networking and sharing the news of our work with like-minded humanitarians.

In February, we participated in Missions Fest Vancouver, educating attendees about our literacy projects in Rwanda and seeking supporters.

On May 22, the Grace Rwanda team is travelling to Vancouver Island to participate in the third annual Powell River Missions Fest at the Evangel Church. The theme for the event is “Local Vision for Global Missions,” which is an excellent fit for our work and interests.

We’ll be learning from and networking with more than a dozen other B.C. based charitable organizations working in the missions field and on humanitarian causes. Learn more at PowellRiverMissionsFest.com.

You can get regular updates on our work by following @GraceRwanda, liking us on Facebook, adding us in your Google+ circle, and watching our videos on YouTube.

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