On 14 May 2015 Her Excellency the First Lady Mrs. Jeannette Kagame was the Guest of Honour at the first fundraising event held under the Friends of Imbuto organization. The event took place in Washington D.C and was hosted by Michael Ansari. Mr. Ansari is a global business leader, philanthropist and a friend of Rwanda.
Over 50 Friends of Rwanda attended the fundraiser where they were introduced to the work of the foundation. There were statements from the First Lady of Rwanda and Mrs. Maureen Ruettgers the President of the Friends of Imbuto board. 2 young women Grace Mutesi wa Mana and Angel Uwamahoro spoke about how Imbuto impacted their lives through the promotion of girls education and empowering youth.
Friends of Imbuto was established in Massachusetts in 2014 as a non-profit tax-exempt entity that aims to support the work of Imbuto Foundation. Friends of Imbuto will help to achieve Imbuto Foundation’s long-term strategy of diversifying its funding base.
Imbuto Foundation engages, educates and empowers vulnerable communities, through social innovations in health, education, youth and economic empowerment.
The Following is the Full Speech by Jeannette Kagame during the event:
Good Evening Everyone,
Let me start by thanking our gracious and generous host, Mr. Ansari, for welcoming us into his beautiful home. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of you, for finding time on a weeknight, to come out and support us.
It is wonderful to see some of our longtime friends here like Maureen Ruettgers, who spoke a few minutes ago. Maureen and her husband Mike, have been loyal supporters of Imbuto Foundation and have donated over $500,000 in the last decade.
Diane Currier has also been a tremendous source of support to us, especially in helping to establish the Foundation as a 501 (c) (3), here in the US.
I will not be exhaustive; but I wish to highlight a few of the friends and partners that are assisting Imbuto, to increase our impact and touch more lives.
Allow me to briefly mention our most recent partner – Bloomberg Philanthropies. Imbuto and Bloomberg are working on an exciting project, to create digital learning platforms for Rwandans.
Just to provide some context to our work, for the last 21 years, Rwandans have been on a steady and determined journey of reconstruction and renewal.
It is impossible not to be inspired by the resilience of our once devastated country, so we started Imbuto Foundation, in order to contribute to a new surge of optimism and opportunity in Rwanda.
Dear Friends,
Tonight, I am here not as the First Lady of Rwanda, but as a mother, and an advocate of Imbuto Foundation.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate that being a mother and leading a foundation, especially one as young as Imbuto, in a young country, are more closely connected than one may think. Both jobs require nurturing, love, resourcefulness and a sense of hope, for what the future holds.
I thought I was almost through with taking care of teenagers, but at 13 years old, Imbuto Foundation is my fifth child and trust me I have more than enough energy, to see this one through.
“Imbuto” means seed in Kinyarwanda. Our philosophy is to continuously plant new seeds and help them thrive. Since 2002, we have worked to engage, educate and empower vulnerable children, young adults, and women.
We expect to see hope and purpose restored to our communities, while focusing on the value of every individual.
Each year Imbuto grants at least 1,000 scholarships to the most disadvantaged students and recognizes the brightest schoolgirls, at award ceremonies all over the country.
We expect to see our young people flourish into the leaders of tomorrow. But we have learned that as critical as formal schooling is, it takes more, to bring out the best in our youth and nurture their leadership potential. So we are committed to doing more. Much more.
From urging communities to adopt a modern early childhood development model, to getting children to embrace the culture of reading, we expect to see Rwandan children acquire a strong foundation for a productive and fulfilled life.
From organizing unique forums to inspire young people to strive for excellence, to equipping adolescent girls with knowledge to take charge of their sexual and reproductive health, we expect to see Rwandan girls and boys grow up as confident and capable as their peers around the world.
Dear Friends,
We all want to make the world a better place, and this is Imbuto’s ambition, starting with our little corner of the world. We continue to work hard, to make Imbuto a relevant and effective catalyst in uplifting our communities.
We expect to see our youth engaged, educated and empowered. This is why I am energized and filled with motherly pride when I see the two extraordinary young Rwandan women here, Grace and Angel.
Being around these young people and others – I guarantee – keeps one young at heart. I invite each of you to discover the REAL fountain of eternal youth, I welcome you to join us.
Tonight, we look to partners and friends such as you to be part of a positive and fulfilling venture; to open up exciting possibilities to many other Graces and Angels.
Have a wonderful evening and welcome to the Imbuto family.
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