Talbot Heath - African Partner School

African Partner School

Not many independent girl schools in the UK can claim to be twinned with a school in Rwanda – but Talbot Heath can! Our links with St Emmanuel College in Hanika were first formed in 2005. That’s when Talbot Heath pupils first started emailing their counterparts in the African state. But it was two years later, in 2007, when our bonds with St Emmanuel really strengthened with the formal signing of a partnership agreement between the two schools. The agreement was signed on Talbot Heath’s behalf by Christine Dipple, Headmistress, at a ceremony in Hanika on August 12. We pledged to encourage the students and teachers of both schools to come together in a spirit of co-operation and mutual understanding. Specifically we agreed to: • Facilitate student contact by establishing penpal links via the internet • Build upon the links and friendships established between our teachers following a visit by a UK delegation, including Mrs Dipple, to Rwanda in August 2007. This included encouraging the exchange of teaching material via the internet. • Encourage mutual understanding so that our schools and teachers can share their experiences and value their differences. • Achieve our goals by supporting each other with prayer The agreement was signed on behalf of St Emmanuel College by its headmaster, Pastor Athanase Habyarimana, and Dr Jered Karimba, the Bishop of Shyogwe Diocese.