GIHANA JACKSON: Inside Fields of Hope

In areas of rural Rwanda, a bar of soap or clean water can be hard to come by. For many, survival is a daily challenge - but for people with disabilities, those challenges are often compounded by stigma and exclusion. In these underserved communities, one organization is working to change what daily life looks like for the better.

 

Gihana Jackson is the founder and president of Fields of Hope [FOH], a Rwanda-based organization which aims to combat disability violence, poverty, and malnutrition. Created in 2019, Fields of Hope operates primarily in rural regions across Rwanda.

 

“We primarily focus on rural areas because there are very many organizations here in Rwanda, but you find most of them are based in towns, capital, cities,” Jackson said. “So for us, we chose to deal with rural areas so that we can directly reach the beneficiaries.”

 

The organization currently carries out six main programs: their Advocacy & Awareness program, Education & Child mentorship, Health Support, Sanitation & Wash, Poverty Reduction and Food Security. 

 

“We chose all these programs just [based] on the needs of our beneficiaries,” Jackson said. “...All those [programs] aim at maintaining or uplifting their well being [...] and encourag[ing] them to strive at having a bright future.”

 

According to Fields of Hope treasurer and project coordinator Ntirengaya Thierry, the programs can be grouped under four pillars: education, health support, sanitation, and poverty reduction. 

 

Within the education sector, Fields of Hope aids children – specifically focusing on those with disability or from a parent with disability – by giving them access to educational materials and providing the support needed for them to go to school. 

 

The health support programs are mainly dedicated towards elderly and disabled beneficiaries. Among other things, FOH provides advice, transport to medical facilities, and guidance to getting health insurance for beneficiaries in need. 

 

“Those who are in the elderly age, sometimes they don't have [the] capability of coming from home to the hospital, so we need to carry them or provid[e] them [with] some transport fees so that they can go to the hospital,” Thierry said. 

 

Sanitation is used as an umbrella term within FOH, covering everything from hygienic products to water.  The organization provides water to beneficiaries without access, and works with the Owed Soap program to provide soaps free of charge. 

 

“So in Rwanda, we have a mountain geographical structure. Some areas, they have water, and other areas, they don't have. If they don't have water, they can suffer from many diseases,” Thierry said. “...We need to provide the water to those who are in need. And on another hand, some have water, but they don't have other materials needed for sanitation. In that case, we need to provide them some materials.”

 

However, the most notable of the programs is poverty reduction, wherein beneficiaries are trained in small scale enterprises to bring in income.  For example, a beneficiary may be taught tailoring with the hope that they can use their work to earn money.

 

“The teen mothers, they act in [a] double role. They are children and they are mothers. So they need [the] capacity of playing a role of mother when they are children,” Thierry said. “So we need to build their financial capacity, so that they can make sure that [they are] doing all of that.”

 

Many young mothers come from marginalized communities in Rwanda, including those facing extreme poverty, limited access to education, and in some cases physical or cognitive disabilities, which makes targeted support even more critical. Thierry, a former beneficiary of similar programs in his hometown, emphasized the importance of the programs. 

 

“Those whom we are supporting, the life they are living in is somehow similar to the life [I had] when I was [a child]. I lived in a vulnerable village. I walked [...] miles to fetch water. We were really poor,” Thierry said. “[Back then], there were some NGOs who came [to] Rwanda and support[ed us]. They gave us some sweets, some food and other things. I grew up, for me, believing that one [day] I will support someone.”

 

Upon finding Fields of Hope, Thierry joined in the hopes to support people like him. Now, Thierry works directly with beneficiaries, performing routine program reviews to report back to the government on Fields of Hope activities. 

 

Due to Rwandan regulations, nonprofits like Fields of Hope must report actual impacts of their work regularly to ensure they are spending money on and achieving what they claim to be, which is one of Thierry’s main responsibilities. On the ground, seeing the real impacts of Fields of Hope on beneficiaries is his “favorite part” of working with the organization, Thierry said. 

 

“In my heart, you can feel the change that we have made on the field,” Thierry said. “Sometimes, when I see someone who can witness what Fields of Hope did for them myself, I feel successful.”

 

The organization’s approach to providing for beneficiaries includes meeting base needs and giving them resources to be self-sufficient in the future. However, Jackson says that mental health needs are also a significant priority. 

 

“In fact, we deal with the people who have lost hope, and for instance, teen mothers, after being rejected by their family members, by the community, they lose hope,” Jackson said. “Children who are being discriminated [against in] the community, they lose hope. And even persons with disabilities, so the first need they have is counseling.”

 

By focusing on personal counseling first and foremost, Jackson believes Fields of Hope is addressing a deeper need in their beneficiaries: to see “that they are very important in the community”. For Jackson, it is important to have hope for the future in order to participate in other activities like studying and job training. 

 

Student volunteer Izere Teta Jolie, who joined Fields of Hope in 2025 while attending Peace High School, said her volunteer experiences were fulfilling. Her work includes organizing beneficiaries and participating in soap-making initiatives in partnership with Owed Soap, with products distributed to those in need.

 

Jolie emphasized the importance of Fields of Hope in supporting vulnerable people and transforming lives. 

 

“My first experience with Fields of Hope was wonderful, and I was happy to serve different people,” Jolie said. 

 

Fields of Hope operates largely through grants and donations. According to Thierry, supporters can contribute in three main ways: providing financial support through platforms such as GlobalGiving, raising awareness by sharing the organization’s work, and collaborating with the organization to expand its reach beyond the districts it currently serves. Through this support, the organization hopes to expand in order to provide more for their beneficiaries in the future. 

“We hope to achieve many things, [one of which is to] equip beneficiaries with different knowledge and skills related to our programs,” Jackson said. “...The mission will spread all over the country, because all of our graduates will go and start something in their communities.”

 

If you are interested in supporting Fields of Hope, click here to donate to the Owed Soap Chapter in Rwanda. You can also support children’s education and provide water to needy families through the organization.

 

“In Fields of Hope, we believe that people who have a disability or who are poor [and] in vulnerable areas – sometimes people can see them as a burden, but for us, we don't see them as a burden,” Thierry said. “...I need everyone to see them like that – not as a burden, but see them as someone who can do something — and empower them. 

 

So [if] we join hand in hand, we can empower those who are [disadvantaged] or who cannot do many things, [and help them in] the small [things] they can do. We can empower [them to do] great things.”