Elizabeth Dearborn Davis traveled on a Putney Community Service Costa Rica program 10 years ago. She went on to graduate with a degree in International Development from Vanderbilt University and later move to Rwanda to co-found The Akilah Institute for Women in the capital city of Kiwali. Through a twist of fate in 2011, Elizabeth bumped into Putney Student Travel Director, Jeff Shumlin, and his wife, Evie, while they were on a programming visit to the country.
Because of this chance encounter, Jeff and Elizabeth agreed to work together to create a Community Service Rwanda program in addition to Global Awareness in Action Rwanda. As a result of this partnership with our very own alumni, Community Service Rwanda students will work alongside Elizabeth at The Akilah Institute for Women and learn more about her incredible experience and efforts as CEO and co-founder. Elizabeth is one of so many extraordinary Putney alumni who have gone on to do remarkable work internationally. We asked her to connect the dots from her first travel experience with us to where she is now.
“I joined a Putney group in the summer of 2001 and went to a small town in Costa Rica. We spent our mornings constructing a water tank alongside Costa Ricans, and in the afternoons we helped teach English in the local school and played soccer with the village children. It is not an exaggeration to say that this summer changed my life forever. It opened my eyes to the reality of poverty in the developing world and instilled a permanent desire to do something. This was the first time that I realized that the rest of the world did not have the same privileges as Americans. Our Putney leaders encouraged us to think critically about what we witnessed. They inspired us to think about our role as global citizens and our responsibility to help others who are less fortunate. I left Costa Rica with the belief that it is possible for our generation to end extreme poverty.
“I returned to high school in Tampa, Florida, and continued to think about my experience on a daily basis. I chose to study International Development when I attended Vanderbilt University. I developed a fascination with the Rwandan genocide after I read an article in the Economist. I moved to Rwanda after I graduated in 2006 to volunteer with grassroots initiatives working with street children. In 2008, I founded the Akilah Institute for Women, a college in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Many of our students are orphans and genocide survivors. Our 2-year diploma in Leadership & Hospitality Management provides them with the entrepreneurial skills, leadership experience, and knowledge to find meaningful employment and launch their own ventures in the hospitality industry, the fastest growing sector of the economy.
“Four years ago, I was sitting in a café in Kigali when I overheard a couple speaking with an American accent. I started talking to them and was overjoyed when they introduced themselves as the Directors of a student travel company called Putney Student Travel. I enthusiastically told them my story and how my Putney experience changed my life. I am thrilled that Putney now offers a trip to Rwanda and I cannot wait to host some students at the Akilah campus. Every day, I am deeply inspired by the Rwandans I know. They have overcome tremendous devastation and tragedy and yet they have emerged as a model of reconciliation, economic development, and women’s empowerment on the African continent. The Putney students will have their eyes opened and their lives changed by experiencing this unique and special country.”
The Akilah Institute for Women is a college for young women located in Kigali, Rwanda. There are currently 80 students ages 18-25. They were children during the 1994 genocide, and many of them lost parents and siblings. Over a third of them are the heads of their households. We encourage you to learn more about Elizabeth’s amazing work with the Akilah Institute for Women, by visiting her website www.akilahinstitute.org.
