Shining in Robotics: Maranyundo Girls School's Inspiring Story

In the radiant embrace of midday sun, within the walls of Maranyundo Girls School, nestled in the picturesque Bugesera district of Eastern Rwanda, a scene of captivating creativity unfolds. Gathered around a table, a spirited group of ten girls immerse themselves in a realm that might appear as mere toys to an unobservant guest. Yet, this space holds a magical name: the Maker Space. With hushed voices brimming with enthusiasm, these young minds exchange ideas, their hands alight on a vibrant tapestry of sketches, delicate metals, and whimsical car-like contraptions. These are actually small robots. Shania Mwiza, a student of senior five in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, is one of these talented girls.

“Just as its name, Maker Space, is a place where we come to make, express our ideas, and make tangible things, from our ideas. We use the materials available to produce something. We might not make a real robot, but we make an ideal robot of what we want to produce if we ever get enough materials” she said.

“This small robot you see is supplying renewable energy by pushing a button, it manipulates a windmill. It also works in a hydroelectric power station, in solar energy, etc. Every robot we make here is to solve problems we see in our environment. We saw how a robot can do many things on its own to solve those problems in case, in the future, there is any situation where there is not a person figure to be addressing those challenges or there is a lot of work to do, and you cannot be everywhere at the same time. You see the industrialisation is growing, there will be a lot of work to be done. We are trying to use robots to carry out those missions” she added.

Teaching students, especially girls, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is of paramount importance. These disciplines ignite curiosity, foster problem-solving skills, and cultivate a passion for exploration. By empowering young minds with these tools, educators unleash their potential as architects of a brighter future. That is exactly what Maranyundo Girls School, the Government of Rwanda, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (UNESCO), and partners are doing.

In March 2023, these young girls won the FIRST LEGO League. This is an international robotics competition for students aged 9-16. It aims to inspire young people to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. The competition Maranyundo Girls won brought together over 350 students from 43 schools in Rwanda. It was held under the theme "SUPERPOWERED” and indeed they feel so superpowered.

“This is very important to me, because many years ago people used to say girls are not meant for this, girls are not into sciences. They are there to cook and do other home chores and other jobs that are not related to science. This was an opportunity for me to show that even girls can do so many things in science. It will serve as an example even for girls to be born, that they have what it takes to overcome any challenge they may face in their lives” Arielle Ireme said with a face filled with joy and confidence.

The participating teams worked tirelessly for months, designing, and building robots that could complete tasks such as pumping oil, transporting fuel units to a filling station, loading energy into an energy storage bin, and distributing energy units.

“The competition was quite intense, we were more than 30 teams, and all we had to do was to showcase our potential, both in robotics but also in other skills that we have, and how we could bring them to the table to solve different issues in our community because where we come from, we experience different challenges. Our project was about biogas. What we had to do was to purify it, that was what the innovation was mainly about, using robots in producing biogas energy, because of the bad smell and the robot’s sensors to fix the gas leakage. We have a role to play in responding to the alarming issue of climate change” said Arlette Umwere Mutabazi.

This competition was held at the Intare Arena, Kigali, and was organised by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of ICT and Innovation, Coderina Education and Technology Foundation, STEM inspires and supported by UNESCO Rwanda, FIRST LEGO Foundation, LEGO Education, and GIZ-Rwanda.

“You cannot develop when you leave behind some people, especially girls, who will be the women, mothers, and grandmothers of tomorrow. You cannot solve problems, leaving behind a girl. I thank UNESCO for empowering girls and involving them in sciences, robotics, and those engineering disciplines. We should work together. Boys and men cannot solve problems alone” said Laetitia Musanabaganwa, Headmistress of Maranyundo Girls School.

Maranyundo Girls School's inspiring journey in robotics shines as a beacon of creativity and empowerment. With unwavering determination, these extraordinary students exemplify the spirit of resilience and the transformative force of education. While celebrating their triumphs, partners could join the United Nations and the Government of Rwanda in nurturing a generation of trailblazers who will shape a brighter tomorrow. This aspiration is also reflected in the UN Rwanda Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. Outcome number three under the pillar of Social Transformation states “by 2024, people in Rwanda, particularly the most vulnerable, enjoy increased and equitable access to quality education, health, nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (wash) services.”