What Brought me to Gashora
“What I really want them to carry is confidence in their own voice — that feeling that they are allowed to speak, make mistakes, take up space, and still be enough.” -Teacher Nancy
By Nancy Mwongeli, GGAST English Teacher
What brought me here- and what made me stay
What brought me to Gashora Girls Academy is the mission. It’s a place that truly believes in girls, no matter where they come from, and focuses on building their potential. That really spoke to me because I see my younger self in these girls. I was also once given a chance by someone who believed in me, and that changed everything for me.
When I stand in front of my class, I always remind myself that I am not just teaching grammar or literature, but helping young girls find the confidence to speak, lead, and advocate for themselves. Many of them already have brilliant ideas; sometimes, they just need the language and confidence to express themselves boldly. I always tell my students that their accent is not their weakness, and their background is not something they should hide.
“For me, the goal is not to erase who they are, but to help them use their voice confidently in any room they find themselves in around the world.”
Even I, a foreign teacher from Kenya teaching in Rwanda with my own accent, share stories from my home country with them all the time. I think that helps them see that you can speak confidently and still fully be yourself.
A classroom that feels alive
A great English lesson in my class is honestly a little chaotic sometimes, but in a good way. There is laughter, debates, acting, storytelling, students moving around, and everybody wanting to share their opinion at the same time. I like making my classroom feel alive and relatable for the girls, so I use things like smart boards, YouTube history videos, TED Talks, read-aloud apps, and even random real-life conversations that connect to what we are learning.
I remember one time a student wrote something in her essay assignment that really stayed with me. She said, “Sometimes girls stay quiet not because they have nothing to say, but because they are scared of being too much.” I honestly just paused after reading it. She was so young, but the statement felt so deep and real. It reminded me that these girls are quietly carrying so many thoughts and emotions.
A great English lesson in my class is honestly a little chaotic sometimes, but in a good way. There is laughter, debates, acting, storytelling, students moving around, and everybody wanting to share their opinion at the same time. I like making my classroom feel alive and relatable for the girls, so I use things like smart boards, YouTube history videos, TED Talks, read-aloud apps, and even random real-life conversations that connect to what we are learning.
I remember one time a student wrote something in her essay assignment that really stayed with me. She said, “Sometimes girls stay quiet not because they have nothing to say, but because they are scared of being too much.” I honestly just paused after reading it. She was so young, but the statement felt so deep and real. It reminded me that these girls are quietly carrying so many thoughts and emotions.
“From that moment, I became even more intentional about making my classroom a space where they feel safe speaking, expressing themselves, and knowing that their voices matter.”
What the stage gives them
When I started working with the girls in the Arts Revolutionary club, I realized there is so much talent in them that you don’t really see in class. Some of the quiet girls, once they are on stage, they just switch… like they become someone else completely, very confident, very expressive. Theatre gives them freedom in a different way. In class, students sometimes still think in terms of right or wrong answers, but on stage, they just become.
I’ve seen it so many times — a girl who is very quiet in English class, barely saying a word, then you put her in Arts Revolutionary and suddenly she’s leading, she’s loud, she’s confident. And when she goes back to class, even her hand starts going up more. The classroom gives them the tools, but the creative spaces… that’s where they learn how to use their voice without fear.
“I remember just thinking, ‘these girls don’t need to be changed’… they just needed a space to be themselves, to be loud, to make mistakes, tell stories, take risks, and to express everything without fear of grades or judgment. And that’s why I stayed with it.”
What I hope they carry with them
Teaching at an all-girls school in Rwanda feels very personal to me. It’s not just a job. Sometimes I just look at the students, and I think about where Africa is right now, all these conversations about leadership, development, women taking space… and I see them as part of that future. It also makes me reflect on my own journey as a woman in education.
When a girl first arrives at Gashora Girls Academy, you can kind of feel it before she even speaks. There is this mix of excitement and fear… some are quiet, some are unsure of themselves, as if they are still trying to figure out whether they belong there. Even the confident ones still carry a bit of doubt beneath the surface.
“But when she leaves Gashora, it’s something beautiful to witness. It’s like she has slowly grown into herself. She speaks with more confidence; she looks people in the eye; she leads without fear; she laughs louder; she takes up space without shrinking. And it’s not just about academics; it’s like she has found her voice, and she is no longer afraid to use it.”
Honestly, I don’t expect them to remember every grammar rule or every poem we read. What I really want them to carry is confidence in their own voice — that feeling that they are allowed to speak, make mistakes, take up space, and still be enough.
