We have a co-sponsorship model for students in Senior 1 through our Dream Leadership Academy due to the higher costs of secondary education. This model allows us to sustainably offset the costs of students’ education and to continue to provide them with quality support.
Each year, we contact sponsors of rising Senior 1 students and invite them to choose one of the following options:
- Increase sponsorship support from $39/month to $78/month.
- Ask a friend or relative to co-sponsor.
- Continue sponsorship as-is; Africa New Life will find a co-sponsor.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions below to learn more about our co-sponsorship model:
Tuition alone costs an average of $62 per month per student in Senior 1 through Senior 6, which does not include the other costs associated with sponsorship. The co-sponsorship model allows us to sustainably offset the costs of students’ education and to continue to provide them with quality support.
After completing Senior 6 and sitting for their national exams, students must wait several months to learn their exam results before they can determine their next steps academically or professionally. From August through January, graduated sponsored students attend our Dream Leadership Academy, where they receive weekly discipleship, biblical literacy, leadership and entrepreneurship training to help prepare them for life after secondary school. After exam results are released, sponsors are contacted in the fall about post-secondary education options for their sponsored students.
Toward the end of the academic year, we contact sponsors of rising Senior 1 students to invite them to increase their sponsorship support, to ask a friend or relative to co-sponsor, or to continue their sponsorship as-is and we will find a co-sponsor.
You can continue your sponsorship as-is! You are also invited to ask a friend or relative to co-sponsor with you, or we will find a co-sponsor through our typical sponsorship channels. New sponsors will be made aware that they are joining an existing sponsor to come alongside the student.
Yes! Your sponsored student will remain in the program and continue school. We will continue to cover the additional tuition costs until a co-sponsor is found.
Yes! Whether you are a sole sponsor or a co-sponsor of a student, the benefits of sponsorship are the same.
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide information about other sponsors’ gifts. If the same gift you ordered was recently given, it will still be graciously received by and help meet the needs of your sponsored student and their family.
No. Out of respect for the privacy of our partners and to maintain the security of your information, we cannot share names or contact information of sponsors.
In Rwanda, there are six grade levels in secondary school: Senior 1–Senior 6. Students take national exams at the end of Senior 3 to test into Senior 4. At the end of Senior 6, students take their final national exams and, if they pass, graduate from secondary school. If they do not pass their exams, they are encouraged to repeat Senior 6. Senior 6 national exam results also determine students’ eligibility for post-secondary (university or vocational) education.
Upon completion of secondary school requirements, sponsored students attend our Dream Leadership Academy. This program provides students with valuable discipleship and entrepreneurship training between the completion of their secondary schooling and their next steps.
We desire for every student in our program to complete secondary school regardless of their age. Students finish the program upon successful completion of Senior 6, or the vocational equivalent, and our Dream Leadership Academy.
In our early years as an organization, the costs associated with primary and secondary sponsorship (tuition, etc.) were closer to equal, and we were able to offset the cost difference through one consistent sponsorship rate.
As the costs of goods and services across Rwanda increased and the cost of secondary education almost doubled, it became clear that our model was not sustainable. Starting in 2016, we analyzed our sponsorship cost model over 18 months to determine how to ensure the sustainability of excellent support for our students.
We discovered that overall costs in Rwanda had increased more than 46% from 2011 to 2017, making secondary (high school) sponsorship unsustainable at $39/month. At that point, tuition alone cost an average of $62/month per student in Senior 4 through Senior 6, which did not include the other costs associated with sponsorship.
Therefore, we decided to change our model of secondary sponsorship in order to continue helping students graduate from secondary school or a vocational equivalent. Beginning in January 2018, Africa New Life implemented its co-sponsorship model for students in Senior 4 through our Dream Leadership Academy. In 2023, we expanded the co-sponsorship model to include all secondary students (Senior 1-Senior 6) in order to better offset the costs of students’ education and to continue to provide them with quality support.
Yes. Africa New Life Ministries International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Across all of our ministries, 84.3% of our expenditures fund the ongoing programs that benefit children, families, and communities in Rwanda. In 2010, Africa New Life became a proud member of ECFA, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which accredits organizations based on financial factors including financial oversight, compliance with laws, transparency, gift communication, and more. Learn more by visiting our financial accountability page.
Sponsored students in our GAP (Guardian Angel Program) receive comprehensive support. Because they already have a higher sponsorship rate, their sponsorship rate will not change when they advance to Senior 1.
Contact us at secondary@africanewlife.org or 503.906.1590 with further questions.
