Psychosocial Development & Wellbeing  ·  Kigali, Rwanda

Every African child deserves to know their story.

IGRAWE walks alongside children and youth through intentional, structured storytelling — restoring the wisdom that grandparents, elders, and extended families once carried, and building the identity, resilience, and cultural confidence that every child needs to thrive.

200+
Youth reached in Kigali
3
School pilots active
100%
African led
Stories told

A generation growing up without their stories

The grandmother who gathered children at dusk. The elder whose proverbs turned confusion into clarity. These voices — and the stories they carried — are disappearing. Today's children navigate identity, belonging, and self-worth without the cultural anchors that sustained previous generations.

Fractured family systems

Extended families are scattered. The intergenerational bonds that once shaped children's inner lives are strained or broken, leaving emotional voids unmet.

Lost cultural heritage

Proverbs, ancestral wisdom, and heritage stories are disappearing between generations — and with them, a child's deepest sense of who they are.

Wellbeing in crisis

Anxiety, identity confusion, and low self-worth are rising among African children and youth growing up in deeply fragmented times.

📖
Story Lab in session · Kigali

We restore the circle

IGRAWE is a culturally rooted psychosocial development and wellbeing organization. We do what grandparents, elders, and extended families once did — walk alongside children and youth with intentional stories that help them understand who they are, where they come from, and the value they carry.

“When a child knows their story, they grow with clarity, resilience, and purpose.”

Through Story Labs and school-based programmes, we blend the science of narrative therapy with the timeless wisdom of African heritage — so every child can re-author their story with confidence, cultural pride, and a rooted sense of self.

The Story Lab

Not a classroom. Not a therapy room. A safe, structured, intentional space where a child's story is heard, honored, and transformed. Facilitated by trained IGRAWE practitioners using narrative approaches rooted in African wisdom.

1
Gather
Children enter a safe circle — facilitated with warmth, structure, and cultural grounding.
2
Listen
Every story is heard without judgment. The child's voice is the most important voice in the room.
3
Explore
Through story, art, and African proverbs, children explore identity, emotion, and belonging.
4
Re-author
Children reframe their narrative — from a story that happened to them, to one they are writing.
5
Share
Stories are celebrated, published, and shared — giving every child a lasting voice in the world.

Six pathways of impact

Every programme is culturally grounded, trauma-aware, and designed to meet children exactly where they are.

A

Storytelling for self-discovery

Interactive sessions in schools and youth centers building identity, confidence, and cultural pride.

Schools & youth centers
B

One-on-one story guidance

Personalized narrative support for children navigating stress, anxiety, or identity challenges.

Individual sessions
C

Relationship & life skills

Workshops on values, communication, and conflict resolution rooted in African wisdom.

Workshops
D

Culturally rooted curriculum

Weekly school sessions combining story creation, life skills, and emotional awareness.

Weekly school programme
E

Parent & guardian training

Equipping adults to support identity conversations and cultural pride at home.

Family engagement
F

IGRAWE Story Labs content brand

Youth-created storybooks, journals, and podcasts — with profits shared with the young creators.

Publishing & media

What changes when children know their story

Real outcomes from our pilots in Kigali schools — and what grows when identity is rooted.

3x
Stronger sense of identity & belonging
85%
Report improved self-confidence
200+
Children reached across 3 Kigali schools
100%
Stories co-created by children themselves
School partners report improved behaviour, focus, and peer relationships across all three pilot schools. Expanding to more schools and communities across Rwanda in 2025.

Before Story Lab, my child came home quiet. Now she tells us stories about our family, asks about her grandmother's village, and talks about her feelings. Something has opened in her.

Parent, Kigali pilot school
Programme participant, 2024

Join the iGrawe platform

Read culturally rooted books, listen to African storytelling podcasts, connect with educators and caregivers — all in one place, built for African children and youth.

Built for schools, families & communities

IGRAWE offers a long-term partnership — not a one-off programme.

For schools

  • Strengthened emotional learning and student wellbeing
  • Improved behaviour, confidence, and focus
  • Cultural identity woven into school life
  • Long-term IGRAWE school partnership recognition

For families

  • Safe, culturally aligned guidance for children
  • Tools for raising emotionally strong children
  • Stronger family bonds through shared storytelling
  • Children who carry their heritage with pride

For funders & partners

  • Measurable psychosocial and wellbeing impact
  • Cultural preservation at community scale
  • Scalable, sustainable, community-driven model
  • Built for Africa, by Africa

Eight ways to walk with us

Whether you give, teach, research, or simply show up — there is a place for you in this work.

Sponsor a Story Lab

Fund interactive sessions where children explore emotions through African narratives.

Lead a school Story Lab

Facilitate sessions — we need your skills to bring stories alive in classrooms.

Sponsor a book

Back culturally resonant reads that build identity and emotional literacy in children.

Be our ear on the ground

Share local insights to keep our work rooted and genuinely community-responsive.

Join our elders' council

Help keep African memory alive and guide the next generation of storytellers.

Bring psychology skills

Promote wellbeing through trauma-aware support and professional expertise.

Bring technical expertise

Record and publish IGRAWE podcasts, books, and video content.

Host an IGRAWE evening

Organize community events for storytelling, dialogue, and shared connection.

Every child's story deserves to be told.

Join us in building a generation of African children and youth who know their story, own their identity, and shape their future with confidence.

info@igrawe.org
+250 792 864 816
Kigali, Rwanda  ·  Africa-based