Project Life is our life project.
We are a family wanting to give back to the world and parents wanting to teach our children to be the change they wish to see in the world. Through our professions, our travels, and international partnerships, we aim to make a difference.
David Shaye
Dr. Shaye is a Harvard Faculty Facial Plastic & Reconstructive surgeon who divides his time between Boston and Africa. He has a research focus on global surgical delivery and co-developed and rolled out an African-based facial trauma teaching program. Dr Shaye has performed surgery in Rwanda, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Guatemala, Nepal, Ecuador, and Bhutan. He has cared for patients with Noma, a destructive disease of the face associated with poverty, and has served as a Surgical Team Leader for Doctors Without Borders Noma Project in Sokoto, Nigeria.
Jessica Shaye
Jessica is an award-winning journalist who has filmed/written/produced feature programs on CNN International. She focuses her story-telling on giving a voice to the voiceless. Jessica’s stories highlight the plights of endangered species, our environment, and people making a difference through their own “Life Projects” around the world. Click here to watch some stories. Some of these “Changemakers” are now Project Life partners, including Mindleaps.
Maya, Samara & Catalaya
Maya (8), Samara (6), and Catalaya (4) have developed their own community projects while they live, travel and learn with their parents. Their first project was the African Doll Project created to spread love and hope during the Global Pandemic. More recently, they helped Project Life create a Children’s Learning Center in Gisenyi, Rwanda. Click to hear how they describe their project in their own voices.
The Project Life family has been living in Rwanda for about 5 months every year since 2014.
Dr. David Shaye is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and has been teaching and learning from local surgeons at the government hospital in the capital city. Jessica has been filming/producing feature stories on citizens for CNN International, connecting their ideas/impacts with a global audience. David and Jessica created Project Life International, a family-run nonprofit, in 2022. Efforts have focused on surgical training and equipping surgeons in the Global South, helping vulnerable children through partnerships, and creating literacy/ learning opportunities for children in rural areas .
Project Life is working on similar projects with local partners in Nepal and Zimbabwe.
How we began…
Here is a little glimpse into the work Dr. Shaye does together with surgeons in Rwanda… one of the reasons for creating Project Life.