Umurava HUB Story
CATS26 Action-Learning Journey
Kigali, Rwanda
November 10 – December 18
In-Person Hackathon: December 6
Getting Started: Orientation
The Umurava HUB started with an orientation session. The goal was to make sure everyone understood the programme, how it would work, and what was expected. Participants were told this was not just a hackathon but an action-learning journey where learning would come from doing, experimenting, and reflecting.
From the start, three things were clear:
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Real learning comes from interacting with the community.
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Progress is shown through what you build and document, not just what you plan.
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Documenting and sharing your work is part of the process.
Participants were also told that attendance, participation, and follow-through were essential.
Evidence:
→ Orientation Call Recording - Passcode: w0x@%Nxm
Understanding the Community
After orientation, participants spent time exploring their communities. They observed daily routines, talked to people, and collected real-life insights.
Before designing any solutions, teams focused on understanding:
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The essence of the community
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Recurring challenges or problems
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Stories that showed opportunities or gaps
This helped teams make solutions that were based on real needs, not assumptions.
Evidence:
→ State 1 Submission Guidelines
→ Sample Community Insight Maps
Learning Through Workshops and Q&A
The hub ran workshops twice a week and had weekly Q&A sessions. Sessions covered everything from basic tools to practical problem-solving and building prototypes.
Attendance was carefully tracked, and all sessions were recorded. Resources were shared in a central space so anyone who missed a session could catch up. Participants who were new to certain topics received extra guidance to keep up.
Evidence:
→ Workshop Recordings & Slides
→ Q&A Session Recordings
→ Attendance Verification Sheets
Weekly Kahoots
Every week, participants joined a Kahoot quiz. The questions came from the workshops, and the top scorers were celebrated on the leaderboard.
It became a fun way to review what was learned. Winners got bragging rights, and everyone enjoyed seeing who would top the quiz that week. Sometimes the same people won over and over, and it became a running joke that they might need to start teaching the class next week!
Evidence:
→ Weekly Kahoot Leaderboard
→ Kahoot Participation and Prizes Guide
Team Formation
Once participants understood the programme, they started forming teams. For participants who didn’t yet have a team, the Hub Lead provided a registration form where they could indicate their preferred roles in a team. This made it easier to match people based on skills and interests.
At the same time, some participants came with friends or colleagues they were already aligned with. These groups decided to sit together, share ideas, and work toward solving a community challenge in a way that felt natural to them.
Every team set roles for technical work, coordination, documentation, and user experience. Teams created shared workspaces and repositories and began moving from discussion to action. By the end of this phase, every participant had a team and a clear project direction.
Evidence:
Evidence:
| Team Name | Team Members List | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| Afrimed Chain | members | A blockchain-powered healthcare data platform |
| Champs | members | A Platform leveraging blockchain technology and stablecoins to deliver a fast, low-cost, and inclusive remittance platform. |
| Clearchain Crew | members | A blockchain-powered solution designed to bring fairness, transparency, and trust to rental agreements worldwide. |
| CupTrace | members | A digital, farmer-centered traceability and governance platform designed to transform Rwanda’s coffee and tea value chains. |
| DATA Komeza | members | A platform providing quantum-resistant, blockchain-based medical data verification platform that ensures long-term security, transparency, and interoperability. |
| E-Tsinda | members | A digital management platform designed to modernize and secure Rwanda’s traditional community savings groups, commonly known as Itsinda or Ibimina. |
| KryptoMina | members | A blockchain-powered ibimina (traditional savings group) platform designed to modernize and secure community savings systems using the Cardano blockchain. |
| UniChain | members | A blockchain-based Identity, Credential & Finance Verification System |
| Win Team | members | A modernized Rwanda Crime Report System powered by Cardano blockchain technology, built to make crime reporting in Rwanda safer, more transparent, and more efficient. |
| FloxBlock | members | A blockchain-powered solution that introduces a secure, transparent, and accessible ledger for community savings groups. |
Daily Coordination
Hub Leads met daily to check progress, share insights, and support teams. These daily check-ins helped the hub work as one unit instead of separate groups.
Evidence:
→ Hub Lead Daily Check-In Notes
Building Prototypes
Midway through the programme, teams focused on creating real outputs. They turned community insights into workflows, user journeys, and early prototypes.
Expectations included:
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Working prototypes or early components
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Work that matched the community insights collected
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Documented designs and architecture
Workshops and Q&A sessions increasingly focused on practical problem-solving and technical guidance.
In-Person Hackathon: December 6
The in-person hackathon was held at Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali. This was the day when ideas, energy, and laptops came together. Teams worked on improving their prototypes and testing their solutions.
We provided food and snacks for everyone, but there were moments when participants ignored all the food in front of them because they were too focused on coding. Some were so absorbed in their work that even a plate of snacks could not distract them.
Participants came from different parts of Kigali and showed amazing commitment. Some had to travel a long way, balancing work, studies, and personal life, just to be there. The atmosphere was full of energy, focus, and a little friendly chaos.
Evidence:
→ In-Person Hackathon Guide and Schedule
→ Event Photos & Media Folder
Final Sprint: Validation, Reviews, and Submissions (Dec 8–14)
After the hackathon, teams worked hard to finish their projects. Each team had to:
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Show working MVPs or prototypes
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Explain what progress they had made since the hackathon
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Share any challenges they faced
Technical reviews checked code, design, and alignment with community insights. Feedback was documented with clear next steps. Final submissions included MVPs, code, documentation, and pitch materials.
Evidence:
→ Team Review SOP
Submission Management
Final submissions included MVP demos, source code repositories, documentation, and pitch materials. All submissions were reviewed for completeness, accessibility, and requirement alignment before being archived and published.
Evidence:
→ Submission Guidelines
Publishing as Part of the Learning Process
Publishing was treated as an extension of the action-learning journey rather than an administrative step. Final artefacts were organised, verified, and made accessible through the hub’s documentation structure, creating a coherent, traceable account of exploration, learning, iteration, and delivery.
Challenges and How They Were Overcome
The hub faced a few challenges:
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Limited documentation meant teams had to solve problems on their own.
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There weren’t enough specialized developers, so mentorship was important.
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Participants had to balance time between work, school, and family.
Despite this, participants stayed committed. Their dedication turned challenges into learning opportunities.
Outcomes
By the end of the programme, the Umurava Hub had:
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Maintained strong participation even with personal sacrifices
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Produced projects that matched community insights
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Built clear teamwork and accountability
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Progressed from learning to building successfully
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Shown resilience under pressure
The projects were practical, grounded, and connected to real community needs.
Lessons Learned
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Regular workshops and Q&A sessions help keep everyone on track.
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Interactive quizzes like Kahoot make learning fun and memorable.
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Clear team roles speed up progress and ownership.
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Resilience and focus help overcome challenges.
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Good documentation and sharing of knowledge make work more efficient.
👉 Umurava HUB Team Stories
| No | Team | Project | Team Story Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afromed Chain | A blockchain-powered healthcare data platform | View Team Story |
| 2 | Champs | A Platform leveraging blockchain technology and stablecoins to deliver a fast, low-cost, and inclusive remittance platform. | View Team Story |
| 3 | ClearChain Crew | A blockchain-powered solution designed to bring fairness, transparency, and trust to rental agreements worldwide. | View Team Story |
| 4 | CupTrace | A digital, farmer-centered traceability and governance platform designed to transform Rwanda’s coffee and tea value chains. | View Team Story |
| 5 | DATA KOMEZA | A platform providing quantum-resistant, blockchain-based medical data verification platform that ensures long-term security, transparency, and interoperability. | View Team Story |
| 6 | E-Tsinda | A digital management platform designed to modernize and secure Rwanda’s traditional community savings groups, commonly known as Itsinda or Ibimina. | View Team Story |
| 7 | KryptoMina | A blockchain-powered ibimina (traditional savings group) platform designed to modernize and secure community savings systems using the Cardano blockchain. | View Team Story |
| 8 | UniChain | A blockchain-based Identity, Credential & Finance Verification System | View Team Story |
| 9 | Win Team | A modernized Rwanda Crime Report System powered by Cardano blockchain technology, built to make crime reporting in Rwanda safer, more transparent, and more efficient. | View Team Story |
| 10 | FloxBlock | A blockchain-powered solution that introduces a secure, transparent, and accessible ledger for community savings groups. | View Team Story |