For Ingabire Solange, education was never just a personal ambition, it was a lifeline that reshaped her understanding of possibility.
Today, she is an education advocate and co-founder of Refugee Youth Changemakers, an initiative working to expand access to higher education, skills training, and dignified employment for refugee youth across Africa.
But her journey began in a very different reality.
“My name is Solange and I grew up in Kiziba refugee camp in Rwanda,” she recalls. “Growing up was really a normal upbringing until I left the camp for the first time.”
That moment, she says, changed everything.
“That’s when many questions popped up… I realized that actually not every person lives in a refugee camp. I started asking myself why we live this way, and why we don’t have access to basic needs.”
In Kiziba refugee camp, Solange completed her primary and junior secondary education. Like many young people, continuing beyond that level was uncertain.
“At that time, we didn’t have senior high school. It was normal for people to drop out after junior high school,” she explains.
Higher education felt out of reach, not due to lack of ambition, but lack of information and opportunity.
“Even those who graduated often came back to the camp and worked as teachers. And personally, I didn’t want to be a teacher. So I asked myself, what is the point of continuing school if that is the only outcome?”
Still, education remained central in her household.
“I was lucky to have a mom who was really passionate about education,” she says. “She always told us that the only way to make it in life is through education.”
A shift in opportunity
Her path changed when an organization, Acts for Rwanda, supported her transition into senior high school outside the camp.
“When the organization started sponsoring me, I went outside the refugee camp to study,” she says.
That exposure broadened her understanding of what was possible, but also revealed deep structural gaps.
“The first barrier was lack of awareness. People didn’t even know if scholarships existed or if refugees could continue education after high school.”
Discovering a global opportunity
After completing high school, Solange was introduced to international scholarship opportunities through the support system around her.
“I started applying to different schools and scholarships until I was told there was the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program,” she says.
That opportunity eventually led her to Earth University in Costa Rica, where she pursued a degree in Agricultural Engineering.
“I got the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, and it sponsored my undergraduate studies in Costa Rica,” she explains.
Moving from Rwanda to Costa Rica was not only an academic transition, it was a personal transformation.
“At first, I was excited, but it was also challenging because I had to learn Spanish and it was my first time leaving Rwanda,” she says.
But the deeper challenge was internal.
“I started thinking maybe they selected me because they felt sorry for me. Coming from a refugee camp, you develop low self-esteem.”
Over time, that perception shifted.
“I had to convince myself that I deserved this opportunity. That I am more than my background. I am a leader, I am talented.”
Her confidence grew through engagement with other scholars and refugee students on campus.
“We had a community of Mastercard Foundation Scholars. We organized gatherings and events, and it helped me feel like I belonged.”
Those interactions also shaped how she saw her identity.
“I realized I don’t have to hide my story. It is part of who I am.”
Building impact beyond the classroom
While studying, Solange and fellow students began organizing initiatives focused on refugee awareness and access to education.
“We started raising awareness about scholarships and opportunities for refugees,” she says.
This eventually evolved into structured programming.
“We moved from online workshops to in-person sessions because we realized internet access was a challenge for many people.”
Their work expanded across Rwanda and beyond, supported by small grants and partnerships.
“The first grant I received was from the Dream Project supported by World University Services of Canada,” she notes.
After completing her studies, Solange co-founded Refugee Youth Changemakers in 2022.
The motivation came directly from lived experience.
“A lot of refugees were asking me: how did you get a scholarship? How did you get documents? We didn’t even know refugees could travel or study abroad.”
That gap became the foundation of her work.
“The first step is information. If you are not informed, you cannot even try.”
The organization now supports refugees through awareness programs, application guidance, skills training, and partnerships with platforms such as Coursera, LinkedIn Premium, and Duolingo.
“We try to open every door possible for young people to grow,” she explains. “Whether it is education or dignified work.”
Creating pathways for women and girls
Her advocacy has also expanded into gender-focused research and programming through Women Deliver, where she works as an emerging leader.
“We noticed that many of the people we were supporting were male,” she says. “We wanted to understand where the girls are and why they are being left behind.”
The research focuses on barriers affecting adolescent girls and young women in refugee settings, including early pregnancy, caregiving responsibilities, and cultural expectations.
“We cannot solve what we do not understand,” she explains.
For Solange, inclusion is not just about access, it is about belief.
“Sometimes people think inclusion is just doing things for others. But real inclusion is believing in people,” she says. “That belief alone can change someone’s life.”
Her work today spans education advocacy, gender equality, youth empowerment, and international policy engagement. She has participated in global forums across multiple countries, amplifying refugee voices in spaces where they are often absent.
“Not every refugee can access those spaces,” she says. “So I make sure I represent them and share what we need.”
Looking back, Solange sees education as the foundation of everything she has built.
“Education changed everything for me. It opened doors I never imagined existed,” she reflects.
But her focus is no longer individual success.
“I want to see hundreds of refugees accessing higher education, not just me,” she says.
And her message is clear: “Believe in people. Give them access. That is enough for them to prove what they can do.”
Ingabire is an education advocate and co-founder of Refugee Youth Changemakers
