NYANKORA KIDSFLOURISH CULTURE AT THE HEART OF NATURE
Founders
Nyankora Kids was founded by Emmanuel Twizeyimana and Ariane Lorent — two visionaries united by a shared commitment to education, culture, healthcare, and nature.
Dream & Passion
Emmanuel Twizeyimana
Founder
Emmanuel Twizeyimana, founder of Nyankora Kids, is a man passionate about the construction of human history.
Born in March 1983 in Nyankora, the last small village before the southern entrance to the Park, he has dreamed since his childhood of one day building a place there that would bear witness to Rwandan life long before colonization.
Emmanuel chose to study history and geography at university. After graduating, he became a history and geography teacher for about ten years.
His project does not leave him; however, he grows in maturity. Emmanuel is visionary, patient and courageous.
The Akagera National Park, now managed by the company African Parks, wishes to hire new professional guides. More than two hundred candidates present themselves to the first selective examination and after several months of intensive training, twenty of them are selected to form the new team of guides who will master all the knowledge of the animal world of the Park, its fauna, its flora, its biodiversity, its geographical particularities, its history.
This new team will practice responsible ecological and community tourism as in all the other Parks managed by African Parks. Emmanuel is one of them.
This allowed him, during his free time, to dedicate himself to realizing his project in Nyankora (that last village before the park's southern entrance): he founded the NGO (non-governmental organisation) Nyankora Kids, aimed at helping his community.
He sought to contribute in the following areas: education, training, healthcare and the economic development of Nyankora, as well as the preservation of culture and nature.
He also focused on reviving Rwandan traditions and ancestral customs, and using high-quality natural materials for construction. His commitment to the environment inspired him to create a unique outdoor preschool class where children learn in a different way—one that fosters respect for their surroundings.
“Born in Nyankora, I have dreamed since childhood of building a place that bears witness to Rwandan life and lifts my community. Through education, culture, and nature, Nyankora Kids helps children grow with dignity and respect for their surroundings.”
Joy & Determination
Ariane Lorent
Founder
Ariane Lorent was born in Belgium. She has organised her life as an adventurer who loves discovering the world and its people. Her philosophy: "Every hardship and difficulty will be overcome if I turn it into a life experience."
Socially engaged, she has always wished for more "justice" for the most disadvantaged, who have little access to a voice. As a film actress and theatre performer, her texts and roles often echoed her ideas.
In Belgium, as a French teacher for isolated foreign refugee adolescents, she organised football training with her students outside class hours — and together they created a team! They took part in various tournaments, their talent was noticed, and the mission succeeded. Two-thirds of the young people were regularised and work in Belgium today.
In 2015 in Rwanda, hired as a French teacher at the Belgian school of Kigali, she also supported children with albinism. For five years, as a project officer with the King Baudouin Foundation for their inclusion in society, she prepared the reports for the "Guytou Thierry" project, which provided substantial funding.
One dream remained! And as everything is possible in Africa… After meeting Emmanuel Twizeyimana and sharing the same societal and ecological vision, she settled in Nyankora in September 2021 to realise what she calls "my last project": develop a new active outdoor pedagogy with underprivileged young children to help them through life's difficult stages; build her house in nature with local materials — wood, stones, earth, straw — leaving the roofs open at the sides so birds can perch and fly freely from room to room; and found a local organisation where every franc raised benefits those it serves.
“Every hardship can be overcome when it is turned into a life experience. My dream is to develop active outdoor pedagogy with underprivileged young children — and to build a local organisation where every franc raised benefits those it serves.”
Why Nyankora Kids?
Because every child deserves the chance to learn, belong, and grow — rooted in culture, lifted by community, and free to dream.
What We Do
We meet each child where they are and walk with them across every stage of growth — mind, culture, talent, livelihood, health, and land.
Education
We help girls and boys finish school by covering enrollment fees and supplies, and award secondary or university scholarships to high-performing students.
- School enrollment fees & supplies
- Secondary & university scholarships
- Support to study beyond the village
- Pathways back to learning for young mothers
Culture
Ancestral Rwandan traditions — language, customs, and the arts — give young people a solid foundation to grow with confidence and live well together.
- Visual, dramatic & performing arts
- Dance, song, poetry & drum
- Regular workshops & rehearsals
- Passing heritage from generation to generation
Talent Development
We help young people turn talent into opportunity — creating activities that foster economic independence and community self-sufficiency.
- Jobs that foster economic independence
- Tools & training for self-sufficiency
- Sizal Women Cooperative
- Dancers’ troupe / cooperative
Employment & Skills
For those who choose a trade, we organize local vocational training with a future — so Nyankora Kids becomes a springboard into working life.
- Regional tour guiding (Akagera)
- Hospitality careers
- Basketry & sewing
- A bridge from school to dignified work
Nature & Environment
Nyankora Kids is a sanctuary in nature where children and adolescents are no longer alone with their difficulties — and learn to love, respect, and protect their living environment.
- Green pedagogy in full nature
- Caring mentors & resilience
- Lessons on fauna, flora & protection
- Nature as a path to calm and rebuilding
Health
Combating malnutrition is our most urgent action — local food production, age-specific nutrition, community health insurance, and emergency relief.
- Garden, cattle shed, orchard & poultry
- Nutrition by age group
- Mutuelle de Santé coverage
- Emergency food & essential goods
How We Do It
From classrooms to football fields to freshly planted forests — here is where our promise becomes reality.
Ongoing
Traditional dance
Young girls perform traditional dance, keeping cultural heritage alive through movement, rhythm, and song.
Ongoing
Ariane, co-founder
Ariane, co-founder of Nyankora Kids, stands with the children — education led by people who know the community.
Ongoing
Nurturing little ones
A caregiver helps a baby learn to drink — everyday care that builds health, trust, and early independence.
Ongoing
Mothers & babies together
Young mothers and their babies gather for care and support — health and wellbeing start with closeness and community.
Ongoing
Learning in the garden
Ange guides young mothers in the potager — growing food, skills, and confidence side by side.
Stories of Hope
Real Voices from the Nyankora Community
Behind every statistic is a family whose future changed direction.
“My daughter used to stay home every exam season because we couldn't pay the fees. Now she's top of her class and dreams of becoming a nurse. Nyankora Kids didn't just pay a bill — they gave her a future.”
Florence N.
Parent & Guardian
“I've taught for eleven years, and I've never seen a program listen to teachers the way Nyankora Kids does. They ask what children actually need, then they show up and deliver it.”
Mr. Tumusiime
Primary School Teacher
“I came for one tree-planting day as a volunteer. Three years later, I run our youth mentorship circle. This organization turns good intentions into lasting change.”
Brenda K.
Long-term Volunteer
Give Today
Every gift — big or small — goes directly toward keeping a child in school, healthy, and connected to their culture and community.
Choose Your Impact
A 50 gift covers uniforms and shoes for two children.
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Your donation helps provide:
School fees
Books
Meals
Uniforms
Talent programs
Environmental education
Nyankora Kids publishes an annual transparency report so every donor can see exactly how funds are used. We keep overhead low and impact high.
Get in Touch
Whether you want to donate, volunteer, partner, or simply learn more — we'd love to hear from you.
Send Us a Message
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Organization Information
Address
Nyankora Village Road, Kabale District, Uganda
Phone
+256 700 123 456Office Hours
Mon – Fri: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (EAT)