April is a time of new birth in nature. I love the beauty and smell of flowering trees. That is, of course, my thought as I remember my childhood in Pennsylvania, USA.
That awakens thoughts and memories in Rwanda and the history of the stones. Please remember with me.
Things do get set aside as time moves on. The stone project was one of those things. The project was started as a fundraiser called “A Path to Learning.” It was started as an actual path of stones on the ground in the middle of the school play area. However, when kids played and walked on the stones, the writing was soon destroyed. The stones were then moved to a bank outside of where I thought kids would venture. Not so. We have moved them temporarily several times since. There has been no permanent place for them. As Urukundo grew, so did the number of stone requests.
The suggested donation to have a stone placed in honor or memory of someone loved and lost is US$100. My kids in the USA and I started the fundraiser along with the donor of our first stone, Ellen Galloway, who was a visitor at the time.
This fundraiser continues today. At present, there are more than 100 stones.Through the stones, US$1,000 was raised in support of education in Rwanda.
You, too, can be included on the wall of your choice if you send a donation of US$100 and what you want written on your stone. The donation can be sent to Hope Made Real, PO Box 3222, Williamsport, PA, USA. Send what you would like to have written on your stone to brown.arlene30@gmail.com. A photo of your stone will be sent to you.
Now, with retaining walls in different areas of the compound, we can place them on the appropriate wall. In March, the patron stones were placed on the wall leading to my house. There is space to add more when that honor is designated.
In April, we placed the “Path to Learning” stones on the wall at the preschool. That is where the first stones of Mama and her USA children are located. The main wall at the Urukundo Learning Center is dedicated to education.
Here are a few samples:
“In honor of” or “in memory of” will go on a special wall. There are retaining walls at the Dental Clinic, school playground, library, daycare, and Secondary School. Stones are being refreshed and will be placed on the appropriate walls. These are cemented to the wall and secured to a base on the ground. No more moves will be necessary. They have a permanent home.
