BCS Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Krier- Executive Director at TEACH Rwanda
TEACH Rwanda: Taking What is Old in Education & Making it New
Imagine a preschool where enrollment ranges from 40 to 100 children with only one unprepared teacher.
Imagine there are no books, no learning materials...children are bored & the school fails to stimulate their brains.
Imagine that a teacher has a stick & students are fearful of being hit with that stick for simply asking a question.
In Rwanda, thousands of children never attend school or drop out of school at an early age. Teacher education programs leave much to be desired, and few, if any, teachers have ever seen a high-quality preschool/school in action.
ENTER: Bright School & TEACH Rwanda!
Bright School began in Muhanga, Rwanda, when Louise Batamuriza, a Rwandan teacher, set up a preschool class in a rented house with just one box of 24 crayons. Louise called Jan Brown, an early childhood educator she had worked with in the US, to “Come help!” With that, TEACH Rwanda was born in early 2012.
TEACH Rwanda is determined that every child in Rwanda should have the opportunity to get a good education—especially necessary when young brains are developing!
Our schools serve nutritious snacks, so children can focus & learn.
We supplement school fees, so children of low-income families can attend school.
Most importantly,
WHY are we so passionate about early childhood education? Early childhood education is the foundation for life-long learning. High-quality, hands-on early experiences are essential for children’s early brain development. TEACH Rwanda now operates four bustling preschool classes as well as Primary 1, 2 & 3 (first, second & third grades) at Bright School:
Children from all walks of life attend, from the wealthy to the most vulnerable.
Children read books, write original stories in their journals, solve math problems, build with blocks and discover scientific principles when they play with sand and water.
Education officials & organizations around the world are amazed to see children at Bright write stories at an age when most children in Rwanda are still learning to spell their names.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know about TEACH Rwanda, the Bright School and our passion for providing a better future for the children of Rwanda. You can learn more about TEACH Rwanda and opportunities to help by visiting our website at www.TEACHRwanda.org.
Jennifer Krier
Jennifer attended Bethlehem Christian School from Kindergarten thru 8th Grade. She graduated with the 8th Grade class in 1990 and went on to attend Liberty High School, Grove City College and the University of Maryland University College. She has spent the past 20 years gathering a great deal of very valuable business experience, having owned her own graphic design business for several years, and developed a very distinguished resume demonstrating great success in sales/marketing/management/relationships thereafter. Jennifer attributes a significant portion of her continued success to the principles of hard work, commitment and competition that she learned while attending Bethlehem Christian School. In addition, her faith in Jesus Christ has sustained her through even the most challenging days of her life. Her hope is to be able to continue to apply her principles and her faith in her new position as Executive Director of TEACH Rwanda.