Laura Evans Media’s Rwanda mission with USA for UNHCR works to “amplify global visibility for refugee education”

Laura Evans Media supported USA for UNHCR’s Building Better Futures campaign during a February 2026 mission to Rwanda, providing, states a release, “on-the-ground communications strategy and content development to amplify global visibility for refugee education.

“A six-person Women in Philanthropy Advisory Board delegation traveled to Kigali and Mahama Refugee Camp to document and elevate the impact of education programs for refugee women and girls. The visit focused on capturing stories across the full education pipeline – from young students to DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund) scholars and recent graduates… bringing the campaign’s core message to life.

“The Building Better Futures initiative was created to address a critical equity gap: for every 10 refugee scholarships, 7 go to boys and just 3 to girls. The campaign is designed to shift that imbalance, grounded in the principle that educating girls drives exponential impact across families and communities.

Laura Evans Manatos, right in photo above, served in a dual role “as both advisory board member and external communications lead, shaping messaging, identifying media opportunities, and producing storytelling assets to support ongoing campaign visibility and donor engagement.”

Results include:

• Secured international broadcast coverage, including an interview on France 24 featuring USA for UNHCR leadership
• Generated 14M+ global reach across media and social platforms (Meltwater)
• Developed a pipeline of story ideas and on-the-ground content for future placements and Op Eds
• Produced a LinkedIn Live conversation featuring USA for UNHCR’s Lacey Stone, Laura Evans Manatos and a DAFI scholar joining from Rwanda, extending real-time storytelling to key audiences

The mission, states the release, “strengthened the campaign’s narrative and positioned Building Better Futures as a high-impact, scalable solution, demonstrating that investing in girls’ education is one of the most effective ways to drive long-term change in displaced communities.”

CUTLINE for main photo: Refugee women scholars at Kigali Independent University, supported through UNHCR’s DAFI scholarship program, are building pathways to leadership and opportunity—pictured with Laura Evans Manatos (far right).