Beltrida Uwamwezi
February 8th, 2010
NAME: Beltrida Uwamwezi
COUNTRY: Rwanda
BUSINESS: Solidarity Academy School (secondary school)
Beltrida, 47 years old, co-owns a secondary private school in Rwanda, Solidarity Academy School.
After the genocide in 1994, Beltrida returned to Rwanda from diaspora and with permission from the authorities, borrowed the school in her neighborhood. The previous owners had fled the country, leaving the school perfectly in tact. Fifteen years later, Beltrida has 37 teachers and support staff at her school.
The school follows the national curriculum, and students take their national exams and those who receive national certificates go onto a university-level education.
Beltrida’s business goals over the next five years include increasing the number of students who pass the national exam. She also wants to find more ways to contribute to her country’s development and to help more students and teachers learn and adopt the English language, since it is so universally used at institutions of education. She would also like to increase her employees’ salaries and be able to renovate the school itself.
By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Beltrida hopes to gain more knowledge about proper financial and resource management, human resources, and accountability.
Growing up in a family of all girls, Betrida was often told by her family members that she would never achieve anything for herself and her family. But her mother believed in her and fought for her education. But after attending school, Beltrida realized that she did have something to offer to society.
Years later, when trying to re-open the school, Beltrida was met with the same opposition – that as a woman, she could not accomplish this task. But her zeal to work and serve her community proved otherwise.
“To me, this was great achievement in life, and as a woman I felt big inside myself, feeling that with determination I can always make it!”
