October 7, 2021by Sasha Ella

Global GoalsCast visits EPIC Hotel in Rwanda

Support a food program that feeds students of the Mirama Primary School in Rwanda

Ian Williams is the General Manager of the Mantis EPIC Hotel and Suites in Rwanda’s Nyagatare District; a Mantis hotel near the Northern entrance of Akagera National Park, shares EPIC Hotel CSR project in Rwanda. When imposed Covid-19 lockdowns halted the hospitality sector, Williams worked with members of his staff, and used his hotel’s kitchen and resources to help feed local children at the nearby Mirama Primary School.

The Project

With an empty hotel during lockdowns, and no guests to welcome to Mantis EPIC Hotel, General Manager, Ian Williams, stepped up by using EPIC Hotel’s kitchen and staff to deliver meals to hungry children at the local Mirama Primary School. “They were happy,” one of the hotel trainees, Jesca Rusaro, said of the school children. “And that makes me happy, too.”

Jesca Rusaro, a trainee in food and beverage and Nyesiga Charles Kabujangari, a receptionist at the Mantis EPIC Hotel and Suites, share their experience with us.

To hear their story, listen to the Globals GoalCast Podcast, ”The Good News about the Bad News about the Global Goals”.

About Mirama Primary School

Mirama Primary School is located in Mirama 1 Village, close to the town of Nyagatare, in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. It is a government-assisted school which educates 1250 children from the ages of 6 to 15 years old and has a staff of 19 teachers.
The school provides free education for children from the local area with the aim of them progressing to secondary school.

Mantis Epic Hotel and Suites is a 15-minute walk from the school, and the hotel has committed to providing a nutritious meal for 600 pupils once a month. Should additional sponsorship be provided to further support this initiative, the meals supplied can be increased.

With Mirama Primary School being government-assisted, it has allowed for children from the poorest of families in the area to attend school. This was the driving force behind EPIC hotel choosing to start the initiative of providing meals to the schools students.

The Mayor of Nyagatare has encouraged the initiative, and the Vice-Mayor, who was present on the first day of the delivery of the meals, remains highly enthusiastic about the project.

EPIC Hotel is working in conjunction with the local district towards providing meals on a regular basis and it is the Department of Education’s aim to provide lunch to all pupils on a daily basis.

There is currently a kitchen being built on the school’s premises which will make catering far easier, and EPIC Hotel is eager to support initiatives geared towards raising the necessary funds required for the completion of this.

There is currently a kitchen being built on the school’s premises and EPIC Hotel is eager to see if they can assist in raising the necessary funds towards the completion as this will make catering far easier. The long-term vision is for Mirama Primary School to become self-sufficient in providing meals for its pupils.

How you can get involved and support

Global GoalsCast presenters, Edie and Claudia Romo Edelman urge every listener to find ways to help their communities. That can include supporting the food program at the Mirama Primary School in Rwanda through the Community Conservation Fund/Africa.

SUPPORT | Community Conservation Fund Africa | CCFA

EPIC Hotel has also aligned with Pack for a Purpose, that allows guests to make a contribution towards the ingredients needed to prepare nutritious meals for the school children of Mirama Primary School, as well as provide a means for guests coming to the hotel to pack much-needed school supplies.

Community and education form part of the core of the Mantis philosophy. We are so proud of our employees and partners who continue to make an impact, and prove the importance of sustainable tourism.