Beginnings

In 2007, as Headmaster of The King’s School in Hampshire, Paul Johnson travelled to Rwanda for the first time. Having visited several primary schools, he asked to see a secondary school, his own phase of expertise. Paul was taken to the site of the École Technique Officielle, a secondary school in Kigali where, on April 11, 1994, during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi, over 2,000 Rwandans were murdered by extremist militia as portrayed by the 2005 film ‘Shooting Dogs’. The sight of the simple white crosses on grave after grave impacted Paul profoundly and in less than a year he was back, this time with a team of his own pupils and some of their parents. Together they made plans to raise funds for a new school to be built within sight of École Technique Officielle and thus Equip was born.

Now an established UK Christian charity, Equip has not only built a vocational school on the outskirts of Kigali but continues to sponsor education in Rwanda to train young people in vocational skills within a Christian environment. In 2018 Equip became a registered INGO (International Non-Governmental Organisation) in Rwanda so that the work could expand. We now have a variety of projects working to support Rwanda and its young people, including a second school, ministries to young people and agricultural initiatives.

Paul and those parents who travelled with him in 2008 remain on the Board of Trustees.

Promoting opportunity and excellence in Africa