A unique and unprecedented situation

As the world was swept into the Covid-19 crisis, we were faced with a serious challenge here in Rwanda. Like the rest of the world, life was turned upside down. Events have been cancelled, regular life put on hold. A conference on Public Speaking, at which I was due to present, has been postponed. We have had to suddenly halt our regular lessons, both our sessions with the public and our business clients. International and local news, and the social media feeds of friends and colleagues were full of educators bravely launching into the world of online teaching. I've conducted teaching sessions online before, and whilst it felt like it could be the future of learning, it has always presented obvious setbacks.

For many people here, starting to work remotely has not been simple. This seems to be the case for some of our students, who live in certain areas of Kigali where it is difficult to obtain a reliable internet connection. Broadband internet options, usually the most stable option here, are unaffordable to the great majority of Kigali's populace.

After taking a week to take stock and consider our options, notwithstanding the obvious problems, we have decided to try launching our programmes remotely. We are talking to our existing students, and enrolling new students who are ready to take the leap with us.

So, here we go then. Spark English is going online, wish us luck!

--Managing Director, Brad Elliott