Last night, the Communiqué PR team attended a “back to school” celebration in support of the Rwanda Girls Initiative (RGI), a not-for-profit organization formed with the goal of opening a girls’ secondary school in Rwanda. The school is now open, in its third academic year, and its first class will graduate on October 4, 2013.

We were first introduced to the RGI team in early 2011 when we worked with Co-Founders Suzanne Sinegal McGill and Shalisan Foster to generate awareness in the New York Times, Seattle Times and other news outlets for the February 2011 opening of the Gashora Girls Academy (GGA), an upper-secondary boarding school for 270 girls.

We have been impressed by the founders’ vision for the Academy, their passion for helping others, and the grit and determination they showed with the fundraising, construction and initial opening of the school throughout the process of making RGI’s visions a reality. However, last night we found ourselves even more moved by the GGA girls’ stories, drive and hard work, and ambition to be change agents in the world.

At the sold-out event, two young Rwandan students, Celeste and Witness, from GGA gave speeches about the impact their education will have on them, their communities, their nation and the world. Their first-hand testimonials were moving and inspiring – not to mention courageous as English is a second language, and this is both students’ first time leaving Rwanda.

Celeste and Witness’ dreams and aspirations were incredibly refreshing. Both students had found the power to dream—one aspired to be a pediatric cardiac surgeon, the other a civil engineer and fashion designer. For these girls, however, there is only a small leap between dreaming and doing. Each is actively pursuing the futures they envision for themselves. The success of GGA, exemplified in the stories of Celeste and Witness and the countless tales of academic and personal successes achieved daily on the Academy’s grounds are a testament to the potential available in our world. RGI’s “Back to School” event reminded us how often we take our opportunities for granted, and how instrumental the opportunity of education can be.

Many people in the room were clearly moved and compelled to donate money, and it is a wonderful example of the power of stories in fundraising. RGI is an incredibly well run institution, in both its work in Rwanda and its fundraising efforts at home. The authentic presentation of anecdotal stories and success statistics, the colloquial and familiar conversations with Academy students during a 12-minute video clip on their experiences with RGI, the involvement of the local Seattle community, and the inspiring words of Celeste and Witness helped RGI continue a successful fundraising campaign. We are proud of our involvement with RGI and hope you’ll take a minute to learn more about the organization by visiting its website – http://www.rwandagirlsinitiative.org/.