
A guest post from Jules Shell, Executive Director of Foundation Rwanda
The best part of my last trip to Rwanda wasn’t the bustling city or the creative energy permeating the capital—it was my morning ritual of superb Rwandan coffee paired with a simple, delicious snack: fresh mandazi (aka the Rwandan doughnut). That little, delicious fried bread, held the most incredible story of resilience and hope I would hear on the entire trip. The revelation came only when I asked who made it, hoping to say thank you and bring the recipe home for my boys.
I learned the young man crafting the recipe, a bakery apprentice named Shyaka Obed, was, incredibly, a Foundation Rwanda second-generation survivor—a young leader whose vocational training we had previously sponsored!
I immediately scheduled a time to meet Shyaka for coffee outside of his work. We talked about everything: pastries, hopes and dreams, the art scene in Rwanda, his mother, the power of paying it forward, jazz, his vision for his future. I knew right then that this young man was uniquely passionate and destined not just to achieve his dreams, but to create a path for others to realize theirs.
Shyaka’s personal history as a second-generation survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi, has become a force for collective action. He grew up witnessing his mother’s immense sacrifice to ensure he could attend school, even when she sometimes couldn’t afford a pencil. He credits her resilience for shaping the remarkable man he is today.
“She is my hero,” Shyaka says. “She taught me resilience, dignity, and love. Her strength is a light that guides me every single day.”
Today, Shyaka stands at the threshold of a lifelong dream: to earn an MBA in Hospitality Management. He has been accepted into an Executive MBA program at Alliant International University in Alhambra, CA, with classes starting on October 20th.
This achievement is a profound tribute to his mother’s survival and the culmination of his journey to “transform pain into purpose” for his entire community. Shyaka’s vision is to return to Rwanda and apply his Executive MBA in Hospitality Management to a greater purpose. He plans to establish ethical business models and community-focused ventures within the tourism and service sectors that will directly hire and mentor other survivors and underserved youth.
This MBA isn’t merely a degree; it is the foundation upon which he hopes to care for his aging mother, build a dignified future for his community through job creation, and pay it forward to his Foundation Rwanda peers.
For further information, and to support Shyaka, then please visit here.