We started operations in our local communities in Westchester County, then expanded to the greater New York area, targeting less privileged areas to provide our support. In partnership with several churches, we joined in humanitarian outreaches in disaster areas, feeding programs, group homes (for people with disabilities), homeless shelters and local food service – soup kitchens.
2000: God directed the Founder of Esther’s Aid to expand the organization’s program services to Rwanda, to rescue the orphans and victims of the 1994 Genocide. By April of that year, we planted our feet in Kigali, Rwanda. Our target of operations was with the abandoned street children, hopeless and impoverished youth and women who have been abused and exploited.
2001: In collaboration with World Food Program, UNICEF, local organizations, and corporations, we started our grassroots humanitarian operations with thousands of street kids and HIV/AIDS victims
2002: We opened an orphanage in Kigali to underprivileged kids and vulnerable girls. Alongside the orphanage was a private school for primary education for kids and skills training for teenage girls.
How we did it:
We started by concentrating our efforts in the reintegration, intervention and protection of children and youth at all levels from abuse through primary education to life skills development.
2006: We opened up a Skills Training School as a (vocational institute) in Kigali. The goal was to train the youth and young adults (girls) with life skills and provide them the tools necessary to overcome poverty and create productive sustainable lives.
2008: We diversified into basic cooking skills. Over time, with the emerging hospitality and food service demand, we positioned ourselves to take on and concentrate in Culinary Arts and related courses. Esther’s Aid School of Culinary Arts was born.
2009: We started awarding Certificate of Completion to students who successfully completed the program.
2011: We received accreditation by the Ministry of Education under Technical Vocational Training (TEVET) for The School of Culinary Arts
2020: In response to social distancing and because of “Stay in Place” moratorium in response to Covid-19 virus, we launched our free e-learning portal allowing students to continue with their studies. This also serves those who we couldn’t be granted admission due to limited resources.
Esther’s Aid offers programs in Culinary Arts, Pastries/Confectioneries, Hospitality, Entrepreneurship, Computer Training, etc. We saw the needs for trained chefs in the hospitality industry, so we stepped in to become part of a great tradition of excellence, and part of the solution by offering market-relevant education that enables young women and youth to achieve economic independence.
We were able to secure internship placement in some hotels for our first graduates. The feedback was great and the result was impactful. That was a driving force to do more. Esther’s Aid covers 3 local communities in Northern Province, Gasabo and Southern province; working with poor women in Craft and Agric-business – Basket weaving, Orange fleshed sweet potatoes production, mushroom planting and harvesting.
Currently, we are expanding by constructing Esther’s Aid School of Culinary Arts in Kigali, “The Village of Peace“