With ongoing love and appreciation, I wish to honor a thoughtful woman whose love of children extended to making changes in Urukundo’s play area.
Our dream was to build fences and level the land, making our play area a safer place for the children. She made it happen. Thank you, Barb.
This stone has been placed where the children she loves play every day.
The best of the summer holiday at the daycare.
Our playground is user-friendly. Swings are so much fun.
Some have to push.
Veterinarian Otto Fischer from Austria visited. Dr. Otto gave us Ollie and so much more. His visits are always too short.
Otto’s Rwandan son Jophride and his sister Anitha accompanied Otto on this visit.
Construction of the new Secondary O Level School continues. The school will serve grades 7, 8 and 9.
Aug. 1: From the top. Ready for roofing.
Ground level view. Windows and doors are stacked ready to be installed.
Aug. 21: Entrance walkway is ready for cement.
Aug. 26: Work inside is progressing. Blackboards are being constructed.
Windows, doors, and foundation stones for floors.
Until the next time. Stay tuned. Development continues.
Sometimes a photo just says, “Take me.” These lovely girls were guests at a wedding held on our grounds. Couldn’t resist.
Hello, friends and family. In case you haven't heard, I will arrive in the USA on Sept. 2, and I will return to Urukundo on Oct. 27. I will be in Eastern Pennsylvania (Williamsport and Harrisburg) from Sept. 3 to Oct. 5. I will then travel to Pittsburgh for the remaining weeks. I hope to see many of you during my visit. I can be reached by email to answer any questions about available times. My schedule is available to anyone who wishes to know where I am and when. Contact me by email, and I will send it to you. See you soon. Pray for safe travel, please.
Mama
We start in late June.
My Rwandan daughter Cecelia became a bride on June 26.
Cecelia and her groom Damascene taking civil ceremony vows.
The wedding party: Giselle, Chantel, groom, bride, Esperance, Serephine, visitor Patrick, Oswald.
Construction of the new Secondary O Level School continues to progress. The school will serve grades 7, 8 and 9.
July 20
July 23
Frame for the roof is in place. The photo is from the top of the mountain.
July 26
It's beginning to look like a school. The August newsletter should see construction completed.
After that, there needs to be equipment for the inside. So much yet to be done!
Moving into a new age. I am amazed at the advancement in construction in the Muhanga District. So much of the grunt labor is now being done by machines. First, a cement mixer, then safer scaffolding, and now a shovel for moving loose earth and leveling.
This was dirt removed by hand, shovels, and wheelbarrows when construction started in January 2025.
Looking ahead a bit
The new building will have six classrooms. Each classroom needs 18 desks and 36 chairs. There will be 36 students per room. One chair costs $22. One desk costs $76. The set for two students costs $120.
Patrick KInchsular, a Canadian who is a student at New York University in the USA, spent a month learning about our culture and exploring Rwanda, based at Urukundo. He attended Cecelia’s wedding.
Patrick took Kinyarwanda lessons from Urukundo Learning Center teacher Kubwimana Marcelin.
Patrick made friends with Ollie.
And he was our photographer at graduation.
Patrick was a support for me during very sad times and many good times. I am so grateful he was here in this eventful month of July.
We had other visitors from Canada as well.
It was our pleasure to host this group of five for lunch with Mama and a tour of Urukundo. Wybe Bylsma, his granddaughter Candice, and his great-grandson Seth spent an afternoon meeting our students preparing for graduation. They met Ildephonse Habinshuti, left, university lecturer in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Rwanda, and another Rwandan, Olivier Manzi, right.
Band director Immanuel is proud of his music students as they practice for their part in the graduation ceremonies.
Before taking national exams, our Primary 6 students took a field trip to Nyanza, visiting the King's Palace and other sites in the area. P6 national exams were June 30 to July 3.
We are waiting for results from the exam.
The 13th graduation at Urukundo Learning Center was a joyous event attended by many. We honored kindergarten, Primary 6 and Tom Nunnally Sewing Center graduates. Our graduates number 125 in kindergarten, 81 in P6 and 27 in the Sewing Center.
Honored guests: Musabwe Aimable, who is the Cyeza Sector executive secretary, and Mugabo Gilbert, who is the Muhanga District vice mayor.
Urukundo Foundation administrative staff and spouses, left to right: Felix and his wife, HR Juliette; National Board President Oswald and his wife Felecie; Executive Director Jean Marie; and Executive Secretary Eric.
Primary 6 graduates wore green and black.
The kindergarten graduates from the preschool wore blue and gold.
Claude and Lucky today. Claude finished secondary school. Lucky has one year to go. He lost a year due to his school closing for Covid.
These are the kindergarten students in Graduation 13.
Even in preschool, our students visualize a bright future. Here are some of our kindergarten graduates.
He dreams of being an astronaut.
A doctor is his vision.
Flying as a pilot is where it’s at when you are 6 years old.
Baseball is his goal.
Constructing buildings for Rwanda is in the future.
All have hopes and dreams. We hope to make their dreams real.
The Tom Nunnally Sewing Center graduates wore blue and white.
Urukundo students modeled some of the outfits sewing students made.
Pretty in purple
Strutting her stuff
She will be a model or an actress.
Musabwa Aimable, right, Executive Secretary of the Cyeza Sector, awarded a sewing machine to the best student, Mukamugemo Francoise, left.
The award of a sewing machine is a tradition established by Forest Hills Rotary in Pennsylvania, USA, to honor Tom Nunnally, a member of their club and a patron of Urukundo Foundation, who left us way too soon.
Forest Hills Rotary also gave a startup gift for every graduate. Urukundo has continued this memorial to honor Tom.
On the runway, sewing students modeled clothing that they designed and made.
All of the graduates paraded on the street in front of the Urukundo campus.
Opening student parade. In sync, marching to open the event.
I was honored to be a speaker. My talk emphasized, “Education is the light to a brighter future.”
Urukundo’s chorus and band
Urukundo’s dancers, girls and boys
Urukundo’s karate presentation
13th graduation for the school but 7th for Primary 6.
Graduating P6 dancers
P6 valedictorian Iradukunda Clarisse
An outstanding academic student received an award gift. Student Hakizimana Kevin Promese and his father.
Closing our graduation ceremony with cake
Abigail from New Zealand came back for her second visit in 2015. Abigail teaches circus. Yep, that is her profession, and the kids love her and the acrobatics she shares with them. She also cooked Chinese food for the kids when she came before.
Abigail is coming back to her second home at Urukundo in September. She is returning for the third time, this time bringing her son.
