A happy alert
Celebration, celebration, celebration.
This year, Saturday, July 11 will be very special.
Graduation from kindergarten, Primary 6 and the Sewing Center.
Dedication of Urukundo’s first Secondary School, honoring the late Barbara Campbell whose gift helped to make the school possible.
The 20th Anniversary of Urukundo Foundation. Awesome!
Please take note. Would love to have you join us in person or in spirit.
Visitors Tony and Doreen Mileto are beautiful people. Lousy photo. My fault.
Tony and Doreen are the first visitors to the Urukundo Foundation from Saint John's-Newberry United Methodist Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA. It’s my family of faith, before moving to Rwanda. I am so honored by their visit. Tony is my driver when I am in the USA and my son Jerry is not available. I depend on Tony for so much. Thank you, Tony.
Tony is a man of many talents. He is not only a good driver, but he is also a lay pastor in his conference and serves as pastor and speaker in many Susquehanna Conference UMC churches. Oh yeah, he is also a very good cook.
Doreen wears so many hats that it is impossible to list them all. She plays piano (I am jealous), teaches classes, serves in communion outreach for shut-ins, and does a host of other things. She is my hero. When I grow up, I hope to be like her. Love you, Doreen. Yeah, Tony too.
My next visitor was the very handsome, tall Pastor Jason Schwartzman from Elm Park United Methodist Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
Pastor Jason and I belong to a mutual admiration society. It goes back a long way. I first knew him as pastor of Grace UMC in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, USA. He has a great sense of humor and is a very caring person. Probably why he is an awesome pastor. His wife, Michelle, visited Urukundo in 2025. This photo is from my most recent visit to the USA.
Our three visitors arrived at Urukundo about noon on April 28. The first order of business was lunch with Mama at Mama’s house.
That was followed by touring the campus and meeting with Headmaster Viateur.
After a night's rest, our visitors joined the daycare babies in Mama’s residence for an hour of love and fun.
Doreen, Tony, and Pastor Jason spent an hour of playtime with the babies. Such joy!
They also visited the school campus.
The visitors were welcomed by older students.
Then it was on to the library and activity room.
Classes in session; visitors welcome.
Tony joined the kids at lunch.
Then back to classes.
Our visitors spent many hours participating in the classroom. Teachers and students benefited.
Prime time with Doreen. Different age group.
The activity room is used for group activities, educational play, and just plain fun. Kids and adults need and share it all.
Pastor Jason visited the art center in the activity room.
Tony played the match game with the students. The match game is always a fun game for visitors to join in.
Pastor Jason tested the handicap walkway. Look, Mom, no hands.
The visitors were on the second level of the new Secondary School with the headmaster.
Tony diced tomatoes with Serephine in the kitchen. Careful, Tony, don’t lose a finger!
Juliette and her husband Felix welcomed visitors to their home and village.
A visit to Juliette’s neighborhood.
At 7:30 a.m.on a Monday, our visitors met with a gathering of the Primary students. Students in clubs gave a presentation for visitors.
Watching a volleyball game in the rain. Someday, this area will be the home of our gymnasium, where spectators and athletes will not sit in the rain. From my lips to God's ears.
They also visited Kigali City. No visit to Urukundo is complete without a visit to the capital.
Carfree area in our nation's capital.
Then they returned to see Urukundo’s music complex.
Pastor Jason, Emmanuel, Tony, and Doreen posed with the team before the final competition.
Bells may be his speed. Surprise, surprise, Pastor Jason on the drums,
Doreen, Pastor Jason, and students danced while Tony and Mama looked on. Great way to end their visit.
At the airport with Oswald. Heading home to the USA.
Not Oswald. He stays.
The Secondary School, which will serve grades 7, 8 and 9, will be dedicated on July 11 and open for classes in September.
The wash station for after restroom breaks is important. Wash your hands, please. Very necessary.
Paving is completed. Now to plant grass and trees.
Urukundo’s music program is No. 1 in the whole country!
We won the National Music Competition on May 23.
Here’s the team before the finals.
And after winning.
Yes, I am shouting the terrific news.
Our composition (poem) came in fourth.
Congratulations to all who participated.
Mama
Every year, all of Rwanda observes 100 days of genocide commemoration from April 7 to July 4, with events taking place nationwide. In schools, events are organized to remember the students, teachers, and leaders who were killed in the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.These events are organized at the sector level by setting up different sites where people come together to honor those who lost their lives during that painful time.
During the commemoration, students hear testimonies from survivors about the genocide period, which help students learn about the history and the importance of unity and reconciliation. Students also prepare sketches and poems to share with others as a way of remembering the victims and educating the community.
This day helps young people learn from the country's history. It helps them to understand history well and supports the fight against the ideology of genocide. This also helps survivors to be strong and prepares students for a better future without genocide and its ideology.
The Cyeza Sector chose Urukundo Learning Center for students to participate in a day of remembrance, known as Kwibuka 32, which means “to remember” in Kinyarwanda. The number reflects that this is the 32nd anniversary.
Students walked to Hope Made Real House for a day of remembrance.
Primary 5 and 6 students from three schools came together at Urukundo Learning Center to honor those who died in the genocide.
Candles were lit in tribute.
Each school hung its 32nd-year remembrance banner.
Just saying hello.
I hope you all are well. I am fine, and Urukundo is doing well.
This year, on July 11, the foundation will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Imagine that!
I came as a woman with a mission, intending to remain for seven years. Now 20 years have gone by. I am where I am intended to be. God in charge.
My, how time flies! The foundation grew from a home for 13 girls to a home for 52 girls and boys, a school for 1,200 children, and a place of employment for 118 Rwandan citizens.
I am honored and pleased to say thank you to the many who have made Urukundo possible with your donations. Stay well, be happy, and share the love.
With love from your friend in Rwanda,
Mama Arlene
Accreditation and loss
Urukundo Learning Secondary School is accredited.
This is a “Hope Made Real.” Thanks to Urukundo’s dear friend Barbara Campbell and many other donors, the school is ready to receive students. The dedication will take place Saturday, July 11. Classes will start in September.
Barbara traveled from New Jersey, USA, to visit Urukundo in September 2024. She met the children and staff and fell in love with the babies in daycare and the foundation. She saw our need for a Secondary School and acted.
Her gift to build the Secondary School came from her heart. She planned to come back for the opening of the school. That cannot happen. Barbara passed away on April 12.
I know she will be with us in spirit on July 11 for the dedication. Remembering how much she loved the children warms my heart.
A stone in her memory will be placed on the wall of the Learning Center.
Thanks to our generous donors, funds were raised, electric sewing machines were purchased, and machines and work tables assembled. They are ready for the teaching program at our Tom Nunnally Sewing Center.
Students looked a little perplexed viewing the new machines.
Sitting and ready to learn. What a blessing! Thank you, donors. Your gift is appreciated.
The project of installing tile halfway up the walls was started in February 2024 by a team from Hebron Church of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
The project was to place wall tile in all rooms where messy, little hands could reach. This would make keeping the area clean easier. Washing is better than painting every year. Well, with one room completed by the volunteers, it became apparent that the project was very beneficial and every room needed the same treatment. It took two years, but it has been accomplished.
Nursery, cradle roll.
Small serving kitchen
Nap time quarters for 3-year-olds.
Even the trim is painted above the tiles. I think it looks great, and the kids and aunties love it.
Urukundo daycare aunties were presented with new clothes designed by the students at the Tom Nunnally Sewing Center. Decorative trim was created on the new electric sewing machines.
Looking good!
A sight to behold! Our new Secondary School, which will open in September, will serve students in grades 7, 8 and 9.
Last but not least: rainwater harvest tanks.
The tanks prevent damage from excess rain and supply water for cleaning and the bathrooms.
Mama JoeJoe (Merry Grace) and Jolly, both former employees who moved on to career changes, came by to say hello and see the progress made at Urukundo. It was my pleasure to spend some time with these remarkable women.
Our kids have begun the final term of the 2025-26 school year. Preparing for national exams and graduation is a big deal for them and our staff. Every year, the graduation presentation is outstanding. We are blessed with the many talents of our students and our teaching staff. This year's ceremony on July 11 will be very special. We will mark the Urukundo Foundation's 20th anniversary; honor graduates from kindergarten, Primary 6 and the Tom Nunnally Sewing Center; and dedicate Urukundo's first Secondary School.
It is awesome to me that my commitment to serve for six years has now become 23 years. The foundation was recognized officially in 2006. It functioned successfully for three years before becoming official. Thanks to our generous donors and a devoted staff, we have survived and flourished for 20 years. There is much to celebrate. Join us in person or in your hearts.
Thank you.
Much love,
Mama
