Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes Region of East Africa (26,338 Km2). According to the 2022 population census, it has a total population of about 13.5 million, 94% of who are Christians (mostly Roman Catholics), 2% Muslims, 2% traditional religion practitioners and the remaining 2% do not identify with any religious persuasion. On August 31, 2018 the Rwandan government passed a Local Government Law that was meant to regulate religious practices in the country with a five-year moratorium.

According to this new law, access to leadership and preaching positions requires holding a Bachelor’s degree in Theology or a BA in any other discipline plus a certificate in theology delivered by an accredited institution. In addition, the law mandates places of worship—chapels and mosques to adhere to strict building codes and maintain very hygienic environments.

RWANDA 2018 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT

As a result, over 9,800 places of worship has been closed down partly because many of the pastors of these churches do not have Seminary education. The aim of the project is to give opportunities to 1,000 Rwandan pastors to enter seminaries and train for Post-graduate diploma or the Bachelor of Theology degree at the in the next 5 years.

Rev. Dr. Komi Hiagbe, the initiatoor of the project, holds a Dr. theol. degree in Systematic Theology from the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt (Germany). He has over 35 years of experience as a pastor and 20 years as a Theological educationist and has previously taught in Seminaries and Christian universities in Ghana and Kenya. He is currently teaching Systematic Theology, Christian Leadership, and Theology and Development at the Protestant University of Rwanda in Huye.

Komi and Yaa have three adult children and a granddaughter. The financial requirement for the upkeep of Komi and Yaa as they serve as missionaries in Rwanda is $ 1,000 a month.