Every child deserves
to grow up smart.
GSO is a youth-led, community-rooted organization working across five sectors — from early childhood classrooms to national policy tables — so children and young people in Rwanda can learn, earn, and lead safely.
A local NGO built by young people, for young people.
Founded in 2014 and officially registered in 2019, Grow Up Smart Organization (GSO) is a Rwandan youth-led and youth-serving organization based in Rulindo. We work directly in communities and alongside local government and faith-based institutions.
Our work spans five interconnected sectors — meeting children at home, young people in the field, and families and institutions at the policy table.
Five ways we show up for Rwanda's children and youth
Each program pairs a clear five-year goal with hands-on, community-led delivery — from kitchen gardens to continental advocacy.
Early Childhood Development
Goal: support 5 home-based early childhood education points, reaching 70 children aged 3–5 each year.
- Training teachers and updating learning modules
- Building community kitchen gardens for nutrition
- Donating learning materials to home-based ECD centers
Youth Economic Empowerment
Goal: create technical and financial opportunities for youth across Rulindo.
- Facilitating farming and agriculture — seedlings and livestock
- Running financial literacy programs
- Co-collaborating with other youth-serving and youth-led communities
Social Protection
Goal: engage local governments and faith-based institutions in recognizing limiting ideologies, re-designing practices, and sustaining accountability.
- Family-strengthening programs
- Local government engagement and advocacy
Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights
Goal: capacitate families, one-stop centers, schools, and community platforms to prevent gender-based violence and expand access to SRHR information.
- Training communities and equipping resource centers, including girls' rooms
- Conducting regional and continental advocacy on SRHR
Leadership Communities
Goal: accumulate indicative data and build coalitions of support, transparency, and accountability to advocate for positive change on global social issues.
- East African Youth Network (EAYN) — GSO serves as Country Coordinator for Rwanda
- MenEngage Alliance — GSO serves on the Africa Steering Committee
Four ways to work with GSO
Whether you're a training partner, an academic institution, a network, or a funder — there's a concrete way to plug in.
Training Programs
- Financial literacy
- Sexual reproductive health & rights
- Computer literacy
- Soft skills
- Unity and reconciliation
Academic Institutions
- Equip ECD centers, primary & secondary schools with:
- Learning materials
- School clubs
- Scholarships
- School feeding
- Girls' rooms
Institutions
- East African Youth Network — EAC (7 countries)
- Global Shapers Community — World Economic Forum (500 hubs)
- MenEngage Alliance (global)
- Rwanda Local Government
Partners
- Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Rwanda
- SONKE, South Africa
- Rwanda Men Engage Network
- For The Kids
Invest in GSO's work
- A youth-led, youth-serving local NGO — from $1,000+
- A child's education — from $25+
- An Early Childhood Learning Center — $5,000
- Co-design a project with us
Grow Up Smart Organization (GSO) is humbled and excited to collaborate with you. Sending peace and purpose.
Ready to co-design a project with GSO?
We work best in partnership — with funders, schools, networks, and local government. Reach out and tell us where you'd like to plug in.